Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday sharply criticised the Election Commission of India over its recent actions of shuffling administrative and state security official in the state ahead of the Assembly elections calling it a ‘political interference of highest order’.
Describing the developments as extraordinary, CM Banerjee took to X handle and stated, “The manner in which the Election Commission has singled out and targeted Bengal is not just unprecedented- It is deeply alarming.” She pointed out that even before the formal notification of elections, “more than 50 senior officials including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DGP, ADGs, IGs, DIGs, District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police have been summarily and arbitrarily removed.” She described the move as “political interference of the highest order” rather than administrative action.
Raising broader institutional concerns, the Chief Minister said, “The systematic politicisation of institutions meant to remain impartial is a direct assault on the Constitution.” Referring to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision process in the state, she added that “at a time when a deeply flawed SIR process is underway and over 200 lives have already been lost, the conduct of the Commission reflects a clear bias and an uncomfortable submission to political interests, continuing to put the people of Bengal at risk.”
Banerjee also flagged delays in electoral procedures, stating, “Supplementary electoral rolls are still not published, in clear disregard of the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s directions, leaving citizens anxious and uncertain.” She further alleged that “senior officers from critical agencies like IB, STF and CID are being selectively removed and dispatched out of the state, pointing to a calculated attempt to cripple Bengal’s administrative machinery.”
Questioning the intent behind these developments, she questioned, “Why is the BJP so desperate? Why this relentless targeting of Bengal and its people? What satisfaction do they derive from forcing citizens, even after 78 years of Independence, to stand in queues and prove their own citizenship?”
The Chief Minister also pointed to what she termed inconsistencies in the Commission’s decisions, remarking, “The contradictions in the Commission’s actions expose its complete collapse of credibility. It claims that removed officers should not be assigned election duties, yet within hours, the same officers are sent out as election observers.”
She added that “the appointment of the Commissioners of Police of Siliguri and Bidhannagar as observers, without even putting replacements in place, left two vital urban centres effectively headless,” noting that corrective steps followed only after the lapse became evident. “This is not governance. It reflects chaos, confusion and sheer incompetence being passed off as authority,” she said.
Terming the situation as deliberate, Banerjee stated, “This is not incidental, it points to a deliberate design to seize control of West Bengal through coercion and institutional manipulation.” She further alleged, “What we are witnessing is nothing short of an undeclared emergency and an unpromulgated form of president’s rule driven by political vendetta, not democratic principles.”
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of attempting to gain control through non-electoral means, she said, “Having failed to win the trust of Bengal’s people, the BJP is now attempting to capture the state through coercion, intimidation, manipulation and the misuse of institutions.”
Expressing solidarity with state officials, Banerjee concluded, “I stand in complete solidarity with every officer of the Government of West Bengal and their families, who are being targeted simply for serving the state with honesty and commitment.” She added, “Bengal has never bowed to intimidation and it never will. Bengal will fight, Bengal will resist and Bengal will decisively defeat every attempt to impose a divisive and destructive agenda on its soil.”
