Saamana editorial: Shiv Sena(UBT) alleges 'Modi-Shah pattern' rigged Bengal, TN polls
Synopsis
Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Saamana has gone further than most opposition voices — naming Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar directly and alleging 92 lakh Mamata supporters were purged from voter rolls. The editorial frames Bengal and Tamil Nadu not as BJP victories but as institutional failures, and asks whether opposition parties should contest elections at all under the current setup.
Key Takeaways
Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged a 'Modi-Shah pattern' of electoral manipulation in its Saamana editorial published on Tuesday, 5 May .
The editorial claimed 92 lakh voters — mostly TMC supporters — were removed from West Bengal voter lists ahead of polls.
Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was directly accused of acting as a 'third partner' of the BJP.
In Tamil Nadu , actor Vijay 's TVK is projected at over 100 seats , with the DMK-Congress alliance at around 70 and BJP-AIADMK at approximately 50 .
The party termed BJP's post-victory celebrations a 'hideous form of democracy' , citing rising crimes against women in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) called on opposition parties to reconsider participation in future elections given alleged Election Commission bias.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Tuesday alleged that recent state election results — particularly in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — were engineered through what the party calls the 'Modi-Shah pattern' of capturing elections, raising sharp questions about the fairness of the electoral process and the state of Indian democracy. The allegations were made in a scathing editorial published in the party's official mouthpiece, 'Saamana'.
The 'Modi-Shah Pattern' Allegation
The editorial claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) results in Assam and West Bengal were a textbook application of this alleged pattern. In Tamil Nadu, the same strategy reportedly resulted in a shift of power, displacing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Actor Vijay's party TVK, while falling short of an outright majority, is expected to secure over 100 seats, according to the editorial, with the DMK-Congress alliance left with around 70 seats and the BJP-AIADMK alliance with approximately 50 seats.
The Thackeray camp characterised these five state election outcomes as 'game changers' for the BJP, but alleged they were not achieved through straightforward democratic means.
Election Commission in the Crosshairs
The editorial reserved its sharpest criticism for Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging he acted as a de facto ally of the BJP in West Bengal. It claimed that 3,00,000 paramilitary forces were deployed in the state and all state government officials were relocated — ostensibly to ensure free and fair elections — but that the same standard was not applied in Assam.
Most critically, the editorial alleged that 92 lakh voters — described as predominantly supporters of Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee — were removed from voter lists ahead of the polls.
Point of View
One that independent election watchdogs and courts could verify or refute. That they have not yet done so is the more uncomfortable question. The BJP's back-to-back wins in states where it previously struggled do warrant scrutiny, but the opposition's response — threatening to boycott elections — risks ceding the very democratic ground it claims to defend. The real danger is not who wins Bengal or Tamil Nadu, but whether Indians stop believing elections are winnable fairly at all.
NationPress
1 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Saamana editorial allege about the West Bengal election results?
The Saamana editorial alleged that the BJP's win in West Bengal was facilitated by Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who it claimed acted as a de facto BJP ally by deploying 3,00,000 paramilitary forces and removing 92 lakh voters — described as predominantly Mamata Banerjee supporters — from voter lists. These are the party's allegations and have not been independently verified.
What is the 'Modi-Shah pattern' referred to by Shiv Sena (UBT)?
Shiv Sena (UBT) uses the term 'Modi-Shah pattern' to describe what it alleges is a systematic strategy employed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to engineer electoral wins through institutional manipulation, including alleged misuse of the Election Commission. The party claims this pattern was visible in Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Haryana.
What does the editorial say about Tamil Nadu election results?
The editorial claimed that the BJP's strategy in Tamil Nadu displaced the ruling DMK. Actor Vijay's TVK party is projected to win over 100 seats through strategic vote division, while the DMK-Congress alliance is left with around 70 seats and the BJP-AIADMK alliance with approximately 50, according to the Saamana editorial.
Why did Shiv Sena (UBT) criticise BJP's victory celebrations?
The party termed the celebrations a 'hideous form of democracy', arguing that political revelry was overshadowing a reported rise in atrocities against women, particularly in Maharashtra. The editorial said true religion and democratic values were being undermined by such conduct.
What did Shiv Sena (UBT) say about the future of opposition participation in elections?
The editorial called on opposition parties to seriously reconsider whether they should participate in future elections, given what it described as the Election Commission's dishonest behaviour. However, the party stopped short of announcing a formal boycott.
