Mamata Blasts Chief Election Commissioner as ‘Arrogant and Liar’ After Meeting

Kolkata/New Delhi – February 3, 2026: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp verbal attack on the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, following a meeting at the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi. The meeting, which lasted over an hour, ended with Mamata walking out, citing the CEC’s arrogance and disrespect toward her delegation.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Mamata said, “In my long political career, I have seen many Chief Election Commissioners, but I have never encountered one as arrogant and dishonest as him. I have been a Member of Parliament seven times and a Union Minister four times, yet I have never met a CEC like this. He is extremely arrogant and deceitful. I told him plainly—no one stays in their position forever. Everyone has to leave someday.”

Mamata also raised concerns about the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of voters in West Bengal, alleging that the state was being unfairly targeted. She specifically criticized Seema Khanna, Director General (Information Technology) at the Election Commission, accusing her of playing a key role in removing genuine voters’ names from the electoral rolls. Mamata questioned Khanna’s authority, stating, “Who is Seema Khanna? She has no official standing in the Election Commission and is connected to the BJP’s IT cell. Yet, 5.8 million names were removed from the voter list even before scrutiny, and no one questioned her.”

Explaining why she left the meeting midway, Mamata said the CEC’s disrespect toward her delegation and his arrogance forced her to walk out. She added, “From the beginning, he mistreated us. I told him that ultimately, his fate would be like that of former Vice President and former Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankhar, who blindly followed the BJP’s directions.”

Mamata also alleged that the present CEC was disproportionately targeting West Bengal. She cited the appointment of special voter list observers and micro-observers for West Bengal as proof that the state was being singled out in the voter list revision process.