Kolkata, Jan 13 (NationPress) West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has leveled accusations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming that they are intentionally targeting women voters in the state by removing their names from the voter list during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

In her statements to the media, the Chief Minister suggested that this move by the Commission is a reaction to the substantial backing the Trinamool Congress has received from women voters in previous elections, many of whom have benefited from various state government welfare programs aimed at women.

She pointed out that due to the Commission's mistakes, numerous married women voters have been marked as “unmapped,” leading to their exclusion from the draft voter list.

According to her, changes in surnames and addresses after marriage often result in the deletion of women's names from the draft list.

Furthermore, she accused the Commission of using artificial intelligence (AI) to intentionally erase the names of legitimate voters.

Mamata Banerjee did not hold back in her criticism of the Commission for appointing micro-observers for the session hearings on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list in West Bengal.

“These micro-observers are essentially agents of the BJP. It appears the Commission is dictating which voters will choose which government. Tragically, 84 individuals in West Bengal have lost their lives due to the repercussions of SIR, with four attempting suicide and 13 dying from heart attacks. The BJP and the ECI must bear responsibility for this,” the Chief Minister stated.

Her comments regarding micro-observers came shortly after the Commission declared the addition of 2,000 more micro-observers in West Bengal, raising the total to 6,600.

Notably, since these micro-observers are either central government employees or work for central public sector undertakings or banks, the state government lacks authority over them, unlike electoral registration officers and other officials who are state employees or teachers in state-run schools.

During her media briefing, the Chief Minister also accused the Commission of dismissing the validity of identity certificates issued by the state government without providing any justification.

“Our booth-level agents were barred from attending the hearing session because the BJP failed to secure enough booth-level agents. The concept of ‘logical discrepancy’ was introduced midway through the SIR process, solely to facilitate the removal of genuine voters’ names,” the Chief Minister concluded.