Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday questioned the electoral legitimacy of the BJP government in West Bengal and urged the Supreme Court to restore the previous elected government and direct fresh elections within six months.
His remarks came after the apex court clarified that it had not yet finally adjudicated the legality of the Election Commission's use of the “logical discrepancy” category to scrutinise voter details during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Reacting to the court's observations, Banerjee said that if a “manipulated mandate” could produce a full-fledged government, the present West Bengal government should be treated as “interim”.
“What a convenient democracy! If a manipulated mandate can produce a full-fledged government, what remains of electoral legitimacy?” the Diamond Harbour MP said in a social media post.
He urged the Supreme Court to restore the previous elected government and direct fresh elections within six months, ensuring that every eligible voter wrongfully excluded from the electoral rolls was reinstated.
The court made the observations while hearing a plea alleging a lack of transparency in notices issued to voters during the ongoing SIR exercise in Delhi.
During the hearing, senior advocate D S Naidu, appearing for the Election Commission, submitted that the bench had examined every stage of the SIR process and upheld its validity.
However, Justice Joymalya Bagchi clarified that the court's decision in the Bihar SIR case did not constitute a final determination of every issue arising from the revision exercise.
“In Bihar, the Election Commission had not initially undertaken logical discrepancy as a category. We permitted it as an interim arrangement in West Bengal. We have not finally adjudicated upon the legality of the logical discrepancy exercise,” Justice Bagchi said.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Bagchi and V Mohana, observed that its earlier permission for the exercise in West Bengal was only an interim arrangement.
(With inputs from PTI)