'Bengal election wasn't legally valid': Ex-CEC SY Quraishi calls for scrutiny of voter deletions

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has questioned the legal validity of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, The Hindu reported on Saturday. He called for scrutiny of constituencies where large numbers of Muslim voters were suspected to have been removed and suggested re-polls wherever necessary.

"Were the West Bengal elections legally valid? In my opinion, it was not. I have said this several times; I will say it again. Now it is in front of the Supreme Court; I am hoping they will take the right decision," Quraishi was quoted as saying.

Speaking at the Hashim Abdul Halim Memorial Lecture in Kolkata on Thursday (November 5), Quraishi said parts of the election might have been valid, but constituencies facing allegations of large-scale voter deletions needed closer examination.

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BJP's sweeping victory in Bengal

In May this year, the BJP secured a historic victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule.

The BJP won 208 seats in the 294-member Assembly, while Mamata Banerjee's TMC was reduced to 80 seats. The Congress secured two seats, with four going to other parties.

The result brought the BJP to power in the state for the first time, with Suvendu Adhikari becoming Chief Minister.

'CEC is not the Election Commission'

Quraishi also questioned the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), arguing that the Chief Election Commissioner cannot make decisions independently of the other two commissioners.

"The CEC is not the Election Commission. The rules first call for unanimous decisions. If that is not possible, there must be a majority-based decision among the three members of the ECI," he said.

The Indian Express earlier reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded at least 14 objections over 10 months to decisions and orders allegedly issued without their knowledge under CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The reported objections concerned voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, access to electoral-roll software and appeals related to the Bengal SIR exercise.

The EC has maintained that its decisions were unanimous and described differences among commissioners as part of the decision-making process.

Quraishi also alleged that the SIR process had been used to conduct indirect citizenship checks. "It was neither smooth nor transparent. So many questions were raised that are currently being heard in the Supreme Court. Now, things will come out clearly once their judgment arrives, regarding what went wrong and what was correct," he said.

BJP minister rejects allegations

West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh rejected Quraishi's allegations, arguing that the election reflected the people's mandate. "This government has been in power for 6-7 months. People are happy. But some people are raising questions, maybe because they did not get the outcome that they desired," Ghosh said, according to The Hindu.