New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday hit out at Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien over his claim that voter turnout in West bengal was less than the previous state election, and termed it “selective arithmetic.” Responding to O’Brien on X, Pradhan said, “Your selective arithmetic only reinforces the very point you are trying to deny.” Pradhan said that the increase in voter turnout percentage reflected a “cleaner and more credible” electoral roll following the removal of “duplicate and questionable entries.” “When illegal infiltrators, duplicate entries and questionable names are removed from the electoral rolls, the percentage naturally reflects a cleaner voter base,” Pradhan said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, O’Brien accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of trying to create a “fake narrative” about the high voter turnout in the first phase of West Bengal elections on Thursday, saying the total votes cast in 2026 actually went down when compared to 2021.
After Shah held a press conference in Kolkata on Friday, O’Brien said in a post on X that the total number of electors in 2021 for the 152 seats that went to polls in the first phase on Thursday was 3.67 crore, while the total votes cast were 3.10 crore, a turnout of about 84 per cent.
Rebutting that claim, Pradhan asserted that the high participation indicated that people are choosing “democratic participation over fear and political intimidation.” “What truly matters is that even after this correction, more than 3 crore citizens have stepped out to vote which is a clear indication that the people of West Bengal are choosing democratic participation over fear and political intimidation,” he said.
He took a swipe at the TMC, alleging that the party appeared “unsettled” by efforts to ensure transparency in the voter list.
“It is politically embarrassing to watch you defend deleted names with more conviction than the rights of genuine voters in West Bengal. The real question is not why the percentage has risen. The real question is why TMC appears so unsettled by a transparent voter list,” Pradhan said.
“Any party that has genuinely governed with public trust should welcome electoral cleansing; only those who have long depended on compromised rolls and controlled voting patterns would see scrutiny as a political threat,” the minister added.
He alleged that “inflated voter lists” for years had been used as a “shield for political survival” and claimed that the current election is exposing the difference between “manufactured arithmetic and genuine public sentiment.” “The visible discomfort within the Trinamool leadership today stems not from statistics, but from the growing realisation that the real voice of Bengal’s voter is beginning to echo,” Pradhan said.
“On counting day, it will not be selective data points but the people of Bengal who will deliver the final verdict. The loudest shock for TMC will be the quiet way the Lotus blooms,” he added.
O’Brien earlier said that in 2026, after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the total electors for these seats reduced to 3.33 crore, and the total votes cast were 3.09 crore, with a vote percentage of 92.70 per cent.
“This means that despite a higher turnout in 2026, the total votes cast have actually reduced by 83,674 as compared to 2021. The difference is negligible. The higher turnout of 92.70 per cent in 2026 versus 83.98 per cent in 2021 is purely because of the reduction in the total number of electors after the SIR,” he said, adding, “Afternoon of May 4 (counting day) beckons.” “It’s so easy to expose you. And your attempt to create fake narratives,” the Trinamool leader in the Upper House said.
His remarks came in the wake of Shah telling at a press conference in Kolkata, “People of Bengal broke all records in the first phase and voted with enthusiasm for a change.” On Thursday, the first phase of polling in West Bengal, more than 92 per cent of voter turnout was registered.
The remaining 142 seats in Bengal will go to polls on April 29. The results will be declared on May 4. PTI KSH VN VN
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