ECI, TMC and AAP engage in a sharp exchange as Bengal heads into high-stakes polls

Ahead of the high-stakes West Bengal elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) engaged in a sharp exchange, with the two opposition parties accusing the ECI of working under the BJP.

Issuing an “ultimatum” to the ruling TMC in West Bengal, the ECI said the upcoming elections would be conducted in a “fear-free, violence-free, inducement-free, raid-free and intimidation-free” manner. In a post on X, the poll body said there would be “no booth jamming or source jamming” and that the elections would be “free from disruptions.”

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ECI’s statement followed a meeting between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a TMC delegation comprising Derek O’Brien, Menaka Guruswamy, Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale, following which party leaders alleged they were told to “get lost” during the brief interaction.

“Today, we went to the Chief Election Commissioner. He told us ‘get lost’ within seven minutes of the meeting. The meeting started at 10:02 am and ended at 10:07 am. When we told him that you are transferring officials and how you would conduct a free and fair election, he asked us to leave. What I saw today is a shame. I challenge the Election Commissioner to release the video or audio of what happened today,” O’Brien said.

Polling for the 294-member Assembly is scheduled in two phases—April 23 and April 29—with counting on May 4.

In a post on X, the TMC accused the ECI of acting in favour of the BJP, alleging that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is aimed at deleting voter names ahead of the elections. “Speaking straight to the Election Commission in a straightforward manner,” the party said the elections must be “free from Delhi’s control, free from political bias, free from selective targeting and free from double standards.”

The party alleged that lakhs of voters have been removed from the rolls, calling it a “systematic disenfranchisement” of the electorate. It claimed the BJP, anticipating defeat in West Bengal, is using the ECI to influence the electoral process, and questioned the neutrality of election officials.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal also criticised the ECI, saying it was no longer necessary to state that the poll body was “working under” the BJP. In a post on X, the AAP leader said the alleged alignment between the ECI and the BJP was now “out in the open” and “extremely unfortunate,” adding that using such language publicly risks damaging the credibility of a key democratic institution.