Kolkata (Gurpreet Singh)— West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, March 9, 2026, accusing the head of the poll panel of “threatening” state bureaucracy during a high-level review meeting. Speaking from her dharna site in Kolkata—where she is protesting the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls—the Trinamool Congress supremo warned that “false bravado” from constitutional authorities would not be tolerated.
The confrontation follows a full-bench meeting of the Election Commission (EC) with senior West Bengal administrative and police officials earlier today to assess preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections, likely scheduled for April. During the closed-door session, the CEC reportedly adopted a stern tone, questioning the absence of a State Narcotics Advisory Committee and warning officials of “strict action” for any lapses in maintaining law and order. Sources indicate that Kumar emphasized that any failure to discharge responsibilities properly during the election window would lead to immediate repercussions.
“The CEC threatened our officers today at the meeting,” Banerjee asserted to supporters. “I want to tell the CEC that having courage is good, but false bravado is not good. If you think you can capture power by attacking people, intimidating them, and removing names from the voters’ list, that will not happen.” Her primary grievance remains the SIR exercise, which has seen nearly 63 lakh names deleted from the final voter list published on February 28—a move her party views as a political tool to disenfranchise legitimate electors.
The Chief Minister reiterated her demand that every citizen be granted their fundamental right to vote, alleging that the ongoing revision process is being used to manipulate the democratic outcome. As the state moves closer to the April polls, the friction between the Mamata Banerjee-led government and the Election Commission appears to be reaching a boiling point. With the Supreme Court also set to hear petitions regarding these mass deletions on Tuesday, the political and legal battle over West Bengal’s electoral integrity is intensifying.
