West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of acting as a "stooge of the BJP" and attempting to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the backdoor. Addressing reporters in Digha, Purba Medinipur district, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Banerjee alleged that the ECI is targeting young voters born between July 1987 and December 2004, demanding documentary evidence of their citizenship under the guise of a "special intensive revision of electoral rolls."
Banerjee questioned the timing and rationale behind the ECI's move, calling it a "scam" and expressing concerns that it could disenfranchise legitimate voters, particularly those from migrant communities, students, villagers, and uneducated backgrounds. She highlighted the difficulties many parents would face in providing birth certificates and other documents, raising suspicions about the ECI's true intentions.
"I don't understand the reason behind the ECI move or the rationale behind selecting these dates. This is nothing short of a scam. I seek clarification from the Commission on whether they are trying to implement the NRC through backdoors. In fact, this looks to be more dangerous than the NRC which every political party in opposition must resist," Banerjee stated. She further revealed that similar letters had been sent to the Bihar government, with a copy forwarded to her.
The Chief Minister directly accused the ECI of acting upon the wishes of the BJP, challenging the poll body's authority to unilaterally seek such documents without consulting recognized political parties at the central and state levels. She pointed to a "certain RSS pracharak" who is allegedly running the country, alluding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without explicitly naming him.
Banerjee urged opposition parties to resist what she perceives as a dangerous attempt to implement the NRC through the backdoor. She argued that the ECI's actions are a deliberate targeting of West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, with the BJP allegedly using the ECI to manipulate voter lists and create an environment of fear and confusion. She also alleged that outsiders are being used to fill Bengal's voter list.
This is not the first time Mamata Banerjee has voiced her strong opposition to the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). She has consistently maintained that these measures are designed to target and disenfranchise minority communities and vowed to prevent their implementation in West Bengal. In the past, she has stated that if the opposition alliance is voted to power at the Centre, it will scrap the NRC from Assam and repeal the CAA.
Banerjee's recent accusations against the ECI have added a new dimension to the ongoing debate surrounding citizenship and electoral processes in India. Her allegations of bias and covert attempts to implement the NRC have sparked controversy and raised concerns about the impartiality of the election commission. As the political climate intensifies in the lead-up to the 2026 Assembly elections, this issue is likely to remain a major point of contention between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP in West Bengal.
