New Delhi, March 19 AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal voiced his support for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, stating that she is fighting to protect democracy and accusing the BJP of using the Election Commission (EC) to win the upcoming state assembly elections.
The former Delhi chief minister said the situation in West Bengal is similar to that in the national capital before the assembly elections four years ago.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost power to the BJP in the Delhi assembly elections held in February 2022. Several key leaders of the party, including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Satyendar Jain, were defeated in the election.
"The BJP has turned the Election Commission into its weapon to win elections through deceit. What is happening today in West Bengal is exactly what happened in the Delhi elections as well," Kejriwal said in a post on X.
He alleged that during the Delhi elections, names were removed from the voter list, the police gave free rein to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "thuggery", and the entire administration was focused on ensuring the saffron party's victory.
The AAP leader said that "the very fabric of democracy was torn apart", adding, "Today, Mamata Didi is also fighting to protect democracy. We stand with her in this struggle."
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Banerjee on Thursday expressed concern over the "arbitrary removal of more than 50 senior officials" in the state, describing it as "the highest level of political interference".
Continuing her criticism of the EC, the TMC supremo claimed that such actions amount to "systematic politicization of institutions" and a "direct assault on the Constitution".
Following the announcement of the schedule for the assembly elections, the EC has ordered several reshuffles of senior officers, including the transfer of Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, Home Secretary Jagdish Prasad Meena, and the removal of Director General of Police (DGP) Peeyush Pandey and Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar.
Polling for the West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases -- on April 23 and April 29 -- and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 4.