Mamata Banerjee alleges BJP will bring outsiders for Bengal polls, intensifies attack on Centre and EC

MP, April 11, 2026, Kolkata: As the poll battle intensifies with just days to go for the first phase of voting, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp political offensive on Friday, using multiple election rallies to target both the BJP and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over a range of issues.

While she hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on fish production in Bengal, she also raised strong objections over the alleged deletion of around 90 lakh names from the electoral rolls, further heating up the campaign trail.

Banerjee also referred to a newspaper report claiming that, out of 90 lakh names deleted from the electoral rolls, 60 lakh belonged to Hindus and 30 lakh to Muslims. She cautioned that the BJP should never be trusted, alleging that a similar pattern was seen during the NRC exercise in Assam, where out of 19 lakh names removed, 13 lakh were Hindus and 6 lakh were Muslims.

She also claimed that the BJP brought people from outside for the Assam elections as it was not confident of victory with the votes of the northeastern state’s residents.

Addressing an election rally at Tentulia in North 24 Parganas district, she alleged that no agency in the country was neutral under the BJP government at the Centre as “the saffron party has bought them all”.

“A trainload of 50,000 people was brought to Assam from Uttar Pradesh,” she stated.

Elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly were held in a single phase on Thursday.

“Even a snake can be trusted, but not the BJP,” she added, as acrimony between the TMC and the BJP intensified ahead of the two-phase Assembly polls.

The TMC chief alleged that the BJP was trying to use the same ploy in Bengal to bring in people from outside, which is why officers were transferred.

Asking the electorate to consider her as the TMC’s candidate in all 294 seats in the state, Banerjee said: “If you want a Trinamool Congress government under my leadership, then I am the candidate in all seats.”

The TMC supremo claimed that the names of many Scheduled Caste persons have been deleted from the rolls, while maintaining that the names of electors have also been deleted in her constituency.

“I am not worried, I have faith in people; we will get all the remaining votes on the voter list,” she said.

Responding to Prime Minister Modi’s remarks on fish production, Banerjee cited official state figures on production growth of fish, exports, and reduced dependence on imports, defending Bengal’s fisheries record.

“Modi Babu said more fish is produced in Bihar than in Bengal and that these are sold to other states; it has to be so because the people in Bihar are not allowed to eat fish,” she said at a rally.

Banerjee added that fish production and incomes in the sector had increased during her tenure. She said fish production in saline water stands at 1.98 lakh metric tonnes.

She further stated that fish imports from other states had decreased from 1.12 lakh metric tonnes to 1.02 lakh metric tonnes during her government’s tenure, while exports to other states exceeded imports by 76,000 tonnes.

She also maintained that fish exports to other countries stood at 1.45 lakh metric tonnes.

On Election Commission actions, she alleged that several officers were transferred in West Bengal soon after the announcement of the polls.

“People, money and drugs are being brought in, but our workers will fight it out and win,” she said.

On migrant workers’ harassment in BJP-ruled states, Banerjee said: “You (PM Modi) cannot protect Bengal’s people in other states, but promise a ‘Sonar Bangla’ at rallies.”

“You should dream of a ‘Sonar Bangla’ only after ensuring security for people of West Bengal in BJP-ruled states,” she added.