'Not BJP but Election Commission won in West Bengal and Assam': Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge

You (BJP) have the election commissioner in your pocket. You’ve completely destroyed the Election Commission's process, Kharge said.

Bengaluru: Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday said it was the Election Commission (EC), and not the BJP, that won in West Bengal and Assam.

“It’s the victory of the Election Commission. You (BJP) have the election commissioner in your pocket. You’ve completely destroyed the Election Commission's process,” Priyank told reporters.

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In Assam, the manner in which delimitation was done helped the BJP, Priyank charged.

“In West Bengal, where the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls was done, about one crore people were removed. About 27-28 lakh of them approached tribunals where they got no respite. Aren’t they citizens?” Priyank asked.

The SIR influenced the election results in 80-100 constituencies of West Bengal, Priyank said. “What happened in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana repeated in West Bengal and Assam,” he said. “It’s very clear that the BJP has captured the entire process of electioneering.”

Priyank, the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, cautioned that a similar attempt would be made in Karnataka. “If the same thing happens in Karnataka, there won’t be any surprises,” he said.