Kolkata, March 25 Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim, on Wednesday, criticized the Election Commission over the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, stating that "the right to vote has been granted by the Indian Constitution".
Hakim, along with his daughter Priyadarshini, was in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency to campaign for the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal.
Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim told reporters, "It seems the Election Commission (EC) has been given the status of God. Every Indian has the right to vote. This right has been given by the Constitution, not by the EC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), or the Central government. Anyone who does not follow the Constitution cannot be an Indian."
He also alleged that the EC is "indulging in corruption", adding that "a democracy cannot function through corruption."
Accusing the EC of bias, the Kolkata Mayor said, "The Supreme Court should also be aware that the Election Commission is directly siding with the BJP. As a constitutional body, it should not do such things. It should maintain a set of rules."
Bhabanipur has emerged as one of the most closely watched Assembly constituencies, set for a high-stakes contest between West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, making it a prestige battle that heavily relies on public sentiment.
Expressing confidence in Chief Minister Banerjee's victory from the Bhabanipur constituency, Minister Hakim said, "We (Trinamool Congress) are receiving a good response here. Everyone is saying that they are with 'didi' (Mamata Banerjee). I hope she will win with a significant margin from Bhabanipur."
He added, "We are in constant contact with the people. 'Didi' (Mamata Banerjee) is the daughter of Bhabanipur."
His daughter Priyadarshini Hakim, also a Trinamool leader, said, "Our slogan says "Development in every home" which means there is development in each house of West Bengal."
"We (Trinamool Congress) are undertaking a door-to-door campaign in Bhabanipur to remind people about the developmental work done by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government," she added.
