Mamata Banerjee Claims Supreme Court Intervention Led to Voters' List Release
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Kolkata, March 24 (NationPress) - West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted on Tuesday that the first supplementary voters' list, which was sent for judicial review, would not have been made public had she not taken the issue to the Supreme Court.
Additionally, Banerjee criticized the Election Commission of India (ECI) for releasing the supplementary list at midnight on Monday.
"What prompted the publication of the first supplementary list at such an hour? There seems to be a political conspiracy at play. The printed versions of this list have yet to be made available at the election booth. The additions to the first supplementary list occurred because of my appeal to the Supreme Court," she informed reporters outside the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport before departing for North Bengal to campaign in the lead-up to the April Assembly elections.
She also suggested that the Commission was hesitant to release the first supplementary list sooner. "I have learned that the judicial officers involved in this process completed their tasks on schedule. It was the Commission that delayed the publication by five to six days, ultimately releasing it just after midnight on Monday," she stated.
The Chief Minister called on all forces opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to unite against what she described as a conspiracy to undermine citizens' voting rights, a scheme she believes is orchestrated jointly by the BJP and the Election Commission.
"We must stand together to ensure that the elections are carried out in a fair and peaceful manner. I do not require support from any party for myself. However, we all must unite to safeguard the country's democracy. There is no need to rally behind me, but we must support the common people," she emphasized.
Banerjee further remarked that although the first supplementary list was released on Monday, the full scope of the changes—how many names were added or removed—remains unclear. "We will need to examine who has been deleted and who has been added to the list," she concluded.