Bengal Voter Purge Fuels Allegations of 'Invisible Rigging'

The controversy over the Election Commission's decision to remove over 63 lakh names from West Bengal's electoral rolls has intensified, with the Trinamool Congress accusing the Commission of covert manipulation to favor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC leaders cited that bona fide voters are being wrongly removed.

Conversely, the BJP claims the voter list has been cleansed of illegal entries believed to boost TMC's vote bank. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari argued that infiltrators had long impacted Bengal's political landscape like an ailment, and the revised list restores electoral integrity.

With assembly elections on the horizon, tensions mount as both parties prepare for a decisive contest. The TMC asserts genuine voters face disenfranchisement, while the BJP believes the revision strengthens lawful electoral participation. Congress, too, questions the accuracy of the new rolls and calls for more scrutiny.