Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agrawal Rejects Mamata Banerjee’s ‘Villain’ Remark on Election Commission

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agrawal on Tuesday has firmly dismissed allegations made by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee against the Election Commission, calling them “completely baseless.”

Addressing a press meet following the defeat of the TMC in the Bengal Assembly elections, Banerjee alleged that the election outcome did not reflect the true will of the people, claiming large-scale manipulation and interference throughout the process. Rejecting the verdict the TMC supremo stated, “We have not lost the elections,” adding that “officially, through the Election Commission, they can defeat us, but morally we won the election. We fought against all machinery where PM and HM are also involved. We were fighting villains, not BJP.”

Responding to Banerjee’s remarks in which she allegedly referred to the Election Commission as a “villain,” Agrawal clarified that no verified reports of assault or misconduct had been received by the authorities.

“Calling the Election Commission a ‘villain’ is completely baseless. If there had been any incident of assault or wrongdoing, a formal complaint or FIR would have been filed,” Bengal CEO Agrawal stated.

He further added that he had personally reached out to concerned officials to verify the claims. “I personally spoke to the concerned officials, and no such confirmed reports were found,” he said, underscoring the absence of any documented grievances.

The statement comes amid heightened political tensions in the state, with allegations and counter-allegations surfacing around the conduct of electoral processes. 

Officials have reiterated that due process remains in place and that any complaints, if raised formally, would be investigated in accordance with the law.

The Election Commission of India has yet to issue a separate statement on the matter.