Suvendu Adhikari Blames Mamata Banerjee for Voter Roll Deletions

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari accused former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of being responsible for the deletion of 27.16 lakh names from the state's electoral rolls. Adhikari stated that the deletions occurred during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and were executed by judicial officers following Supreme Court directives based on a petition filed by Banerjee herself.

The dispute follows allegations from Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress that genuine voters were removed to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party. Banerjee has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, claiming the process was manipulated. In response, Adhikari defended the Election Commission of India, asserting that decisions regarding the SIR were made unanimously by the three commissioners.

While the Election Commission maintains that deletions targeted duplicate or dead entries, over 22 lakh deleted electors have appealed for restoration. Adhikari dismissed the opposition's claims, framing the conflict as Banerjee's inability to accept the Assembly election results, in which the BJP won 208 seats.