TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee targets BJP alleging ‘voter list ghotala’, recalls CPI(M) rule violence in Paschim Medinipur

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday mounted a sharp offensive against the BJP and the CPI (M), accusing them of unleashing a fresh wave of political terror in Paschim Medinipur and alleging large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

In a strongly-worded post on his WhatsApp channel, Banerjee invoked memories of violence in the district before the Trinamool Congress assumed power in 2011, claiming Paschim Medinipur had once “bled rivers of blood” under Left rule. “The land was a battlefield of CPI(M) terror, innocent lives snuffed out in broad daylight, families shattered, villages held hostage by ‘harmads’ who ruled through fear and bullets,” he wrote.

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Highlighting what he described as the TMC government’s achievements over the past 15 years, Banerjee said the Mamata Banerjee-led administration had transformed the region by replacing violence and despair with peace and development. “For 15 long years, we have rebuilt this district from ashes, restored peace where there was carnage, brought prosperity where there was despair, unlocked opportunities for youth, women and farmers, and ushered in holistic development—without a single rupee of help from the Centre,” he said.
Stepping up his attack on the BJP, the TMC leader alleged that former CPI(M) cadres had resurfaced within the BJP. “The very same CPI(M) harmads have simply changed jerseys and returned as BJP jallads. The same bloodlust, the same arrogance, the same hatred for Bengal,” Banerjee claimed.

He further accused the BJP of committing what he termed an unprecedented electoral offence by manipulating voter lists. “While CPI(M) rigged votes and jammed booths to cling to power, BJP is committing the mother of all electoral crimes by doing ghotala in the electoral rolls itself,” Banerjee said, alleging that the Election Commission was being misused to delete “legitimate Bengali voters” and to “rig 2026 before a single ballot is cast.”

Calling for a strong electoral response, Banerjee urged voters to turn out in large numbers in support of the Trinamool Congress. “Paschim Medinipur knows their game. We remember the old terror. We see the new one wearing the same face,” he said, appealing to people to “march to the booth in lakhs” and press the ‘Joraphool’ symbol “with such iron conviction that the ground trembles beneath the feet of these Bangla-birodhi traitors.”

Ending his message with a Bengali slogan — “Jotoi koro hamla, abar jitbe Bangla” (No matter how many attacks, Bengal will win again) — Banerjee projected the 2026 Assembly elections as a battle to safeguard Bengal’s identity and democratic rights.