Gyanesh Kumar 'vanished' votes in Bengal by centrally hijacking system: Mamata Banerjee

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress-Mamata chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar had "vanished" votes during the counting of the state's Assembly polls by "centrally hijacking" the system.

In her address at the INDIA bloc's 'Dilli Chalo' rally at Ramlila Maidan, organised to demand the resignation of the CEC over alleged electoral irregularities, Banerjee expressed her solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which staged multiple protests earlier this month against the CEC and said that she was also grateful to the civil society members, students, and Gen Zs for their support.

"Bengal is the victim of the circumstances resulting from the SIR. We will keep fighting (for our rights) even if we have to sacrifice our lives for this."

"They looted Bengal but we will save and restore the democracy," she said while remarking that for the BJP, the SIR stands for "Special Intensive Relief".

"They have looted EVMs, democracy, Constitution, people's rights, and counting of votes. Gyanesh Kumar has not only 'vanished' votes but rather 'vanished' the entire counting (of votes in the Bengal polls) by centrally hijacking the system," she alleged.

"More than one crore voters were removed from electoral rolls in Bengal even before the Assembly polls were conducted. We (Trinamool) did not lose but were defeated, and we will take our revenge politically. We will keep on fighting," she added.

Further, the former Bengal CM accused the BJP-led government of "looting" jobs and "hijacking" elections.

"Vanish Kumar, when will you vanish?" she asked in a jibe at the CEC.

Banerjee also accused the BJP of "protecting" Gyanesh Kumar.

Referring to BJP's slogan of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas', she said: "Now people say 'BJP Ka Saath, Sabka Sarvanash'.

"They have even looted offerings made at the Ram Temple and also from temples in Bengal. They have also 'looted' Waqf property," she alleged.

"We have to defeat the BJP," Banerjee said while urging the CJP and the youth to come together "in this fight of saving democracy".

Meanwhile, the former Bengal CM also "advised" the Central agencies, saying: "Don't behave like puppets of the BJP, be impartial."

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