Mamata demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's arrest, fresh Bengal Assembly polls with pre-SIR voter list
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded the arrest of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and fresh assembly elections using pre-SIR voter lists following media reports of internal dissent within the Election Commission. Her statements arrive amid an ongoing factional feud that resulted in the freezing of her party's name and symbol.
Why it matters
This crisis combines severe challenges to national electoral administration with regional party fragmentation, pointing toward broader instability in India's political landscape.
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.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in