4 min readNew DelhiMar 30, 2026 01:43 PM IST
Accusing her of violating the Model Code of Conduct in force in West Bengal as political activity in the state gathers pace, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday urged the Election Commission of India to debar TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning.
In a memorandum to ECI, senior Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Kiren Rijiju and other leaders from the BJP’s national leadership sought an urgent intervention of the poll body as they cited “malicious & repeated violations of model code of conduct and electoral & criminal laws in the State of West Bengal”.
Calling on the Commission to invoke its “full constitutional and statutory powers” and to adopt “firm, enforceable and deterrent measures to secure immediate compliance and protect the purity of the electoral rolls and the sanctity of the elections” in West Bengal, the BJP sought Banerjee’s debarment.
“…Debar Ms. Mamata Banerjee from participating in the election campaign…Since the local police is complicit and therefore ineffective, ensure enhanced deployment of central forces in sensitive and vulnerable areas,” it stated.
The saffron party also cited examples of alleged misconduct by Banerjee and TMC leaders.
“On 25 March 2026, during a public rally at Mainaguri, North Bengal, the Chief Minister reportedly stated that after the elections, citizens would be compelled to display posters outside their homes declaring, ‘I don’t support BJP.’ Such remarks amount to a direct threat to freedom of political expression and voter autonomy,” the BJP stated.
The BJP said that on the same day, she urged women in Naxalbari to “come out with whatever you have at home”, saying her statement “carries a thinly veiled and dangerous implication encouraging the use of household objects as instruments of physical confrontation.
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The BJP said the “repeated exhortations were followed by a violent incident in Basanti” where the party’s workers, who “engaged in lawful and peaceful campaigning, were attacked by a mob of TMC goons at the behest and exhortations of Ms Mamata Banerjee”
The BJP also accused TMC MP Mahua Moitra, while addressing a press conference in Kolkata on March 28, of “pitching one linguistic group community against the others”, contesting it was “in clear contempt and derogation of citizens of India on the basis of region, language, community with sole & malicious intent to drive a wedge, in an already supercharged political environment.”
The party said she “flagrantly and unabashedly violated every single constitutional & legal provision” related to the electoral process and demanded “an urgent resolution” with nearly 40 more days to go before the elections finally conclude.
“Such a vitiated atmosphere is not in the best interest of the State of West Bengal, its rich cultural heritage and its peace-loving people”, it also said, citing “pervasive fear and brute violence” during previous elections in the state and seeking action against both Banerjee and TMC leaders under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act as well as the BNS.
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The delegation also sought the deployment of more IAS and IPS officers as ECI observers to ensure that “the State administration and police acts impartially and decisively against all acts of violence or intimidation”.
