West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched another scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP hours after the poll body transferred 73 returning officers, including one in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, in the state.
“They transferred BDO of Nandigram to Bhabanipur. I know what they are doing. They are transferring gaddar’s men to Bhabanipur,” Banerjee said while obliquely referring to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
“They transferred 73 officers. Earlier, it transferred 60-70 officers, including the chief secretary, home secretary, DGP, police commissioner of Kolkata,” she said at Kolkata International airport before going to North Bengal for the election campaign.
Banerjee also highlighted an ECI notification where the BJP’s political symbol could be seen. Showing the notification, she said, “Now the cat has come out of the bag. Everybody can understand everything. They are working to give an advantage to a particular political party.”
“This is because of a clerical mistake or a political vendetta. Let’s fight against this one-sided autocracy. To protest against this, we have to unite. Those political parties fighting against this have to be united. If they have reservations against me, they can fight separately, but to protest and save democracy, they should be united.”
While the Election Commission released the first supplementary voters’ list following SIR adjudications in poll-bound West Bengal, it did not specify how many voters were added or removed from the electoral rolls.
Questioning the poll body over not issuing the number of deletions, Mamata Banerjee said, “Why are they misleading people?. Why is ECI afraid? They can’t take away people’s right to vote.”
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She also criticised ECI’s over the Special Intensive Revision, saying it is “playing with SIR”. “Why was the list published at midnight? Why weren’t all lists posted in every booth? Yesterday, again, two people died by suicide. Those names came because I went to court.”
“Why did ECI sit on the list for around six days after judicial officers disposed of the cases? What were they doing? They are afraid because the list is not transparent.”
After transferring the chief secretary, home secretary, DGP, Kolkata police commissioner, and other top officials, ECI shunted 12 police superintendents, four police commissioners, and one deputy police commissioner in Bengal.
ECI also deployed 478 central observers to oversee the upcoming Assembly elections in Bengal, the highest among the five states and Union Territories going to the polls. ECI also transferred 13 district magistrates or district electoral officers and five DIG across states.
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Banerjee has already protested against such “sweeping” transfers of administrative and police officers in Bengal. She also wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar calling the move “a matter of deep concern and surprise” and asking him to “refrain from adopting such unilateral measures in the future”.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
