Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has alleged that Muslims accounted for 71% of voters deleted from electoral rolls in West Bengal, while women made up 51% of the deletions, raising concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Moitra made the allegations on Saturday, October 31, during the INDIA bloc’s symbolic public impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi.
Accusing the BJP of using the SIR process to undermine democracy, Moitra described the exercise as a “Machiavellian plan” and alleged that Kumar was acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
She called the Chief Election Commissioner a “puppet” and accused him of weakening democratic institutions.
The figures cited by Moitra were allegations made at the Opposition event and could not be independently verified from the information available.
INDIA Bloc Holds Symbolic Impeachment Proceedings
The INDIA bloc organised the symbolic public impeachment programme after Opposition parties raised concerns over voter deletions and the conduct of the Election Commission.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, moved the resolution against Kumar, while Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, concluded the discussion.
Representatives of political parties and civil society groups participated in the programme. People affected by the SIR exercise were also expected to share their experiences.
Opposition leaders have accused the Election Commission of facilitating large-scale deletions from electoral rolls and alleged that the exercise could affect voting rights.
Kharge outlined six charges against Kumar in the symbolic resolution, including allegations of facilitating vote theft, deleting voter names, changes to Form 6 and acting in favour of the ruling BJP.
The proceedings were symbolic and did not constitute a formal parliamentary impeachment process.
Rahul Gandhi, BJP Trade Charges
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the deletion of voter names had raised questions about the legitimacy of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
In a post on X, he claimed that the deletion of 13.3 crore voter names undermined the election’s legitimacy and argued that the number exceeded the vote margin between the Opposition and the BJP-led alliance.
Gandhi also accused Kumar and others of treason and warned of action against them.
The BJP rejected the Opposition’s approach. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised the symbolic proceedings, accusing Congress of ridiculing constitutional institutions. He also challenged Gandhi over his allegations of electoral malpractice.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the discussions at the programme as dignified and positive, expressing hope that the same spirit would continue at the INDIA bloc rally scheduled for November 1 at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also arrived in the national capital to attend the rally.
