Agartala, 29th September 2026 : Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury has launched a fresh attack on the BJP and Chief Minister Manik Saha over the ongoing controversy surrounding the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), questioning the need for the Chief Minister to hold a press conference on the issue.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s recent statements, Chaudhury said he was “truly astonished” and recalled a Bengali proverb about a person loudly denying involvement after being accused of wrongdoing.
According to Chaudhury, questions had been raised against the Election Commission, but instead of addressing the substance of those allegations, BJP leaders and the Chief Minister were attempting to shift the focus.
He referred to the recent disclosure of photographs and detailed minutes of an Election Commission meeting, describing such an occurrence as extremely unusual. “We have never seen this before—not with the BJP nor, until now, with the Chief Minister—where the Election Commission holds a meeting and releases photographs to the media,” he said.
Chaudhury also referred to a report by The Indian Express journalist Ritika Chopra concerning the functioning of the Election Commission. He said the report had raised serious questions about the frequency and manner of Commission meetings and the role of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He alleged that the Commission had not conducted a full meeting for around 10 or 11 months and questioned whether decisions were being taken in the name of the Commission without proper collective deliberation.
Referring to Form 6 applications, Chaudhury alleged that matters relating to electoral rolls had been handled through officials who, according to him, did not possess the authority to take such decisions independently.
He further questioned the Election Commission’s reported decision to make meeting agendas available beforehand and announce decisions only after meetings. “Does this mean that earlier Commission meetings were being held without an agenda?” he asked.
Chaudhury also pointed to the Commission’s September 26 statement, claiming that it did not explicitly reject the allegations contained in the Indian Express report. He said neither the Chief Election Commissioner nor the Commission had directly come forward with a press conference to refute the report.
Taking a political swipe at the BJP, Chaudhury said party spokespersons Sambit Patra and Sudhanshu Trivedi, along with Chief Minister Manik Saha, appeared to be defending the government rather than answering the questions surrounding the Election Commission.
He again invoked the Bengali proverb, saying the response reminded him of someone insisting, “I didn’t steal the bananas,” despite the allegations being directed elsewhere.
Chaudhury alleged that the controversy had generated widespread concern among people across the country, particularly young voters. He attributed the broader political responsibility to the BJP’s central leadership and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were behind the decisions concerning the Election Commission.
He also criticised Chief Minister Saha for discussing the issue from the BJP’s party office, saying that the Chief Minister’s press conference should instead have focused on answering the questions arising from the Election Commission controversy.
Chaudhury concluded by questioning why the Chief Minister felt compelled to intervene in the matter if the allegations were directed primarily at the Election Commission.
