Abhishek dubs CEC 'Vanish Kumar' over voter deletions, terms BJP MPs 'snakes'

PTI, ALIPURDUAR, JAN 3, 2025: Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday called Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar "Vanish Kumar" over alleged illegitimate voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal and likened BJP MPs to "snakes" that would inevitably turn on those who voted for them.

Addressing a rally at Alipurduar in north Bengal, a BJP stronghold, Banerjee was delivering the second of his 26 scheduled rallies during his 19-day statewide campaign, 'Abar Jitbe Bangla' (Bengal will win again), sharpening the TMC's attack on both the Election Commission (EC) and the BJP as the state heads towards the 2026 Assembly polls.

Taking direct aim at the poll panel over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Banerjee alleged that eligible voters were being struck off the list arbitrarily. "Do you know Gyanesh Kumar? He is a magician. He can make living beings disappear from voter lists and make the dead walk. He is now 'Vanish Kumar'," the TMC national general secretary said.

He claimed that TMC leaders had gone to the Election Commission's office in Delhi seeking transparency over the process. "We asked them to provide information, to make everything public. But now magic is happening. Living citizens are vanishing," he alleged.

Banerjee also likened BJP MPs to "snakes," accusing them of betraying those who voted for them. His comments came as part of his broader attack on the Modi government's handling of various issues, including demonetisation and voter deletions, accusing the government of misleading the public.