‘Arrest CEC’: Mamata Banerjee seeks repoll; alleges EVM hijacking, state-sponsored poll manipulation

West Bengal's former chief minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a fierce criticism of the Election Commission, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She also called for new state legislative elections utilizing the pre-election survey (SIR) voter rolls and announced that opposition INDIA coalition members would launch a nationwide campaign to "protect democracy."

Banerjee made these claims during a Facebook Live stream, following an investigation by The Indian Express that revealed the three election commissioners had formally objected to decisions related to the SIR of electoral rolls at least 14 times over the past 10 months. She accused the commission of "systemic voter deletion, EVM tampering, and state-sponsored electoral manipulation," alleging that millions of valid voters were denied the right to cast their ballots in West Bengal prior to the polls.

Banerjee stated, "The entire nation is currently in turmoil over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and my first demand is that he should be arrested and criminal proceedings initiated against him." The Trinamool Congress leader also revealed that the opposition had previously submitted an impeachment notice against the CEC earlier this year, but it was rejected in Parliament.

She emphasized that the issue is no longer merely about impeachment, stating that "criminal action is required."