Mahua Moitra (File photo)
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra on Wednesday courted controversy when she shared an old photo of the arrest of Bangladesh’s former poll commissioner in an election-manipulation case, saying it was a sign of “things to come” in an apparent reference to the INDIA bloc’s allegation that the Election Commission of India (ECI) chief is “colluding with the ruling BJP to rig elections”.Moitra, who is also the Lok Sabha MP, drew sharp retort from the BJP, which slammed her for speaking “like an enemy of the country”.Lashing out at Mohua Moitra, BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said: “Mahua Moitra is a Member of Parliament of India, but she speaks like an enemy of the country. The kind of tweet she has posted now— is she trying to say that India’s democracy is like that of Bangladesh?” “Earlier too, we saw RJD leaders saying that if they lose the election, they will turn the country into Bangladesh or Nepal, creating such a situation. We have also seen Rahul Gandhi say that their fight is against the Indian State,” he told news agency ANI.Even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the ECI-led Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise during a meeting with AICC office-bearers from 12 states and Union Territories where the electoral roll revision is under way. He told party leaders that the Congress must counter the drive “politically, organizationally and legally,” according to sources quoted by PTI.Rahul, the sources said, argued that while the Election Commission is responsible for maintaining accurate voter rolls, it appeared to be shifting the burden onto political parties. He also questioned how the SIR was being implemented, warning that it “could lead to the removal of legitimate voters.”Several other Congress leaders echoed his fears, reviving their familiar “vote-chori” charge or calling the SIR a “sinister attempt to destroy Democracy”.Even as the opposition ramps up its resistance, the Election Commission reported that it has already distributed 50.25 crore enumeration forms across the 12 states and UTs, covering 98.54 per cent of the 50.97 crore eligible voters. The first phase spans Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.Four of these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal, head to the polls in 2026. Assam, also set for elections in 2026, received approval for a “special revision” of rolls on Monday.The second phase of SIR began on November 4 and will run until December 4.Rahul, meanwhile, has continued questioning the recent electoral outcomes. Last week, he termed the Bihar results “surprising” and cast doubt on the fairness of the process, saying the Congress and the INDIA bloc would scrutinize the outcome in detail. The party later alleged that the verdict reflected “vote theft on a gigantic scale, masterminded by the prime minister, the home minister, the EC”.
