Election Commission Denying Voters Their Rights in West Bengal, Charges Kapil Sibal; Accuses CEC of Colluding with BJP

New Delhi: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India, accusing it of conducting experiments to systematically disenfranchise voters in West Bengal. In a pointed jibe, he sarcastically suggested that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar deserved a Padma Bhushan for his efforts, adding that Kumar was a disgrace to the nation and was colluding with the BJP to engineer its victory.

Sibal alleged that AI was being misused to remove names from the electoral rolls, citing a specific methodology whereby voter names were deleted if the age gap between a voter and their father was shown to be either less than 15 years or more than 50 years. He pointed out that this practice was being applied exclusively in Bengal and was conspicuously absent in Maharashtra and Haryana, questioning the very purpose of holding an election under such conditions.

He also criticised the massive deployment of security forces in Bengal, arguing that it was disproportionate and politically motivated.

The first phase of polling is taking place amid sharp political polarisation over issues including corruption, unemployment, citizenship, identity documents, and irregularities in the voter rolls. Of Bengal's 294 assembly seats, 152 are going to polls in the first phase. The second phase is scheduled for April 29, with counting to take place on May 4.