Gyanesh Kumar:Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a fierce attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, demanding the immediate arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and calling for a mass movement against what she described as institutional manipulation.
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What Sparked The Outburst
Banerjee’s remarks came after a report by The Indian Express revealed that two of the three Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders issued during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, several of which they said were taken without their knowledge.
Reacting on camera, Banerjee did not hold back. “This is such a scandalous story. We had never seen this in our lives.
Demand For Fresh Elections
Speaking on a Facebook Live address, Banerjee went further, claiming the revelations proved long-standing opposition suspicions. “It has now been proven that BJP, EC looted Bengal assembly polls,” she said, demanding a repoll in West Bengal using the electoral list as it stood before the SIR exercise. She extended the demand to every other state where the BJP had won elections held after the SIR process, including Bihar and Haryana.
Call For A Nationwide Movement
Banerjee said she was calling for “a mass uprising against the ruling dispensation” and indicated that leaders of the INDIA bloc would meet soon to chart a coordinated response against the Election Commission. She also demanded action against deputy election commissioners, IT officials, and electoral registration officers she alleged were complicit in what she called wrongdoing during the SIR process.
The Election Commission’s Response
The ECI issued a swift rebuttal, stating that differing views among commissioners are a normal part of institutional deliberation and that its decisions, including those on SIR, were taken either unanimously or by majority.
