Gyanesh Kumar should get Padma Bhushan, says Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya

Amid Opposition’s demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya on Friday defended him, saying he deserves the Padma Bhushan for handling the Assembly polls in the state earlier this year.

The Opposition plans to move a motion in Parliament to remove the CEC after The Indian Express reported that the two ECs raised objections to SIR-related decisions made without their knowledge.

“The people of West Bengal are delighted that, after so long, intimidation was kept at bay. There were no incidents of murder, and people were actually allowed to cast their votes. Furthermore, in a border state like this, Gyanesh Kumar took the initiative to remove the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators from the voter lists,” the senior BJP leader said, adding, “Gyanesh Kumar deserves to be awarded, at the very least, with the Padma Bhushan.”

He lauded the SIR of electoral rolls, claiming it successfully purged deceased, fictitious, and illegal Bangladeshi voters. “The people of Bengal have rarely witnessed an election like this…”