TMC accuses EC of manipulating voter list via 'WhatsApp instructions'

A political storm has erupted ahead of elections in West Bengal, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accusing the Election Commission (EC) of serious irregularities in voter list management.

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee made public a series of purported WhatsApp exchanges, alleging that micro-observers were being instructed to remove certain names from electoral rolls.

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He claimed that issuing such directions through informal messaging platforms violates Supreme Court directives that restrict the role of micro-observers to an assistive capacity.

WhatsApp claims

Banerjee further alleged that roll observers’ login credentials were being accessed from centralised locations in Kolkata.

This, he said, raises serious questions about whether officials were physically present in their designated districts while carrying out their duties.

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He also questioned whether statutory procedures were being bypassed and under whose instructions such actions were being taken.

Strong allegations

In a sharp attack, Banerjee said it was unacceptable to “pass orders via WhatsApp and not through official channels”.

“It is also extremely disturbing to note that roll observers who are based in districts, their login credentials are being accessed from a central location in Kolkata and these login credentials are being misused to generate queries and delete names of members of a certain community, to please the political masters in Delhi,” he alleged.

He added, “The fact is the Election Commission derives its authority from the people of India and not from a political party.”

Legal warning

Banerjee warned that those “holding constitutional posts or those in the Election Commission who are doing the bidding of a political party will face the wrath of the people and will face the full force of the law because they are in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court.”

Meanwhile, TMC MP Mahua Moitra amplified the allegations on social media, accusing the EC of ignoring repeated observations from the Supreme Court and attempting to omit valid voters in Bengal.

The party has maintained that the EC’s legitimacy rests on public trust and not political considerations.

Next steps

A TMC delegation is expected to submit a formal complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata.

The party has also said it will pursue the matter before the Supreme Court and has called for an independent investigation into the alleged misuse of login data and communication channels.

The EC has not yet responded publicly to these specific allegations.

As the controversy intensifies, attention is now turning to whether the matter will once again reach the apex court, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has previously challenged the EC.

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