Abhishek Banerjee, General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that it is acting as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “real trump card” in West Bengal.
In a post on X, Banerjee stated that leaders like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, or Yogi Adityanath are not the BJP’s strongest assets in Bengal. Instead, he claimed the Chief Election Commissioner is working behind the scenes in the party’s favor, alleging that the BJP dictates actions and the ECI complies.
He also accused central agencies of being deployed in West Bengal to target individuals linked to the TMC, including members of his own family. Banerjee argued that hundreds of central force companies have been stationed in the state, suggesting they would be more useful in regions like Pahalgam, Delhi, Manipur, or Noida.
Expressing confidence ahead of the Assembly elections, Banerjee challenged the BJP, asserting that its presence in Bengal would be short-lived. He warned that officials allegedly intimidating TMC workers would disappear from the state soon after the election results.
Earlier, Banerjee had also accused the BJP of using investigative agencies to exert pressure, referring to the arrest of I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel. Speaking at an internal party meeting, he said such tactics would only strengthen the TMC.
The West Bengal Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting set for May 4.
The upcoming elections follow the 2021 battle, where the TMC secured a landslide 213 seats. However, the BJP's growth from a minor player to 77 seats in the last cycle has set the stage for the current high-stakes confrontation.
(With inputs from ANI)