Mamata demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest, fresh Bengal Assembly polls with pre-SIR voter list

Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and fresh Assembly elections in the State with the pre-SIR voter list, alleging that the BJP and the poll panel had "looted" the polls held earlier this year.

Her remarks came after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had red-flagged multiple issues, including deletion of names, in various states during the pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list, triggering a massive political storm.

"It has now been proven that the BJP and the EC looted the West Bengal assembly polls," Ms. Banerjee said in a Facebook live.