NEW DELHI - Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over their conduct during the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, exposing what he calls a "circus" disguised as a democratic exercise .
Drawing a sharp contrast between international conflict and domestic politics, Singh questioned why the Modi government deployed 2.5 lakh central security personnel in West Bengal-five times the number of troops the United States deployed against Iran-simply to defeat Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee .
Speaking in a video address following the declaration of West Bengal election results on May 4, Singh did not hold back:
"America deployed 50,000 soldiers against Iran. Modi deployed 2.5 lakh soldiers against Mamata Didi to defeat her. Is this an election or a circus?"
Singh alleged that the unprecedented deployment of central armed police forces (CAPF)-including the CRPF, ITBP, CISF, and BSF-was not for maintaining law and order but to intimidate opposition voters and tilt the electoral playing field in favor of the BJP .
His remarks echo concerns raised by Banerjee herself during the campaign, who had questioned the deployment of nearly two lakh central forces . Banerjee had asked: "Are they trying to intimidate me by deploying so many forces? This is unprecedented" .
Singh further alleged that the election results were manipulated by the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming that 27 lakh voters were deliberately prevented from casting their ballots.
*"If those 27 lakh voters had not been disenfranchised, a different result would have been seen today. Unfortunately, 27 lakh voters were kept away from their right to vote. This is not democracy-this is loot-shaahi (rule of plunder). This is not a victory of democracy but of dalaals (brokers),"* Singh charged .
He also directed criticism at opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing the Congress MP of "eating votes" in Bengal by focusing his attacks on Banerjee rather than the BJP .
In a separate but equally explosive accusation, Singh alleged that the BJP crossed all ethical lines by using a rape victim's mother for votes .
The BJP fielded the mother of the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder victim-a junior doctor who was brutally assaulted and killed inside the state-run hospital in Kolkata nearly two years ago-as its candidate from the Panihati constituency .
Victim's mother stated upon receiving the ticket: "I am here to fight for justice for my daughter. I am the candidate to fight for the safety and security of women in this state. Women's safety is my only concern" .
The BJP had repeatedly invoked the RG Kar tragedy during its campaign, accusing the ruling TMC government of failing to ensure women's safety and alleging attempts to shield those responsible for lapses in the investigation .
Significantly, internal sources within the BJP revealed that at least two of the party's most influential leaders in Bengal were not in favour of fielding the victim's mother .
Their concerns included:
Moral Force vs. Electoral Politics - The victim's mother had emerged as a powerful voice across political lines. Some leaders argued she should have remained "above electoral politics" as a central campaign figure rather than a candidate, warning that once she enters the fray, she becomes "a political actor, open to criticism, counter-attacks and the arithmetic of wins and losses" .
Risk of Defeat - Panihati is not a straightforward constituency for the BJP. If she were to lose, warned one of the two leaders, the setback "would not be seen as just another electoral loss. It could be interpreted as a rejection that diminishes the larger cause she represents" .
Legal and Ethical Concerns - Indian law prohibits the disclosure of the identity of rape victims, and courts have interpreted this protection broadly to include any information that could indirectly lead to identification. By fielding the victim's mother, questions were raised within the party about how campaigning would navigate this legal terrain .
The BJP's decision proved electorally successful. The RG Kar victim's mother won her seat, and political analysts have credited the party's focus on women's safety as a "game-changer" in ending Mamata Banerjee's decade-and-a-half-long rule .
Professor Imankalyan Lahiri of Jadavpur University noted that the BJP "strategically utilized the politics of emotional connection" by fielding candidates from victimized families, generating "a wave of sympathy" while galvanizing "anger against the state government" .
However, critics like Sanjay Singh argue that exploiting a family's tragedy for electoral gain crosses an ethical red line, reducing a heinous crime to a campaign prop while doing nothing to address the systemic issues that led to the original tragedy.
Singh also accused the BJP of deliberately stoking religious hatred during the campaign. This accusation is supported by statements made by BJP leaders in the run-up to the elections .
Arjun Singh, a BJP candidate from Noapara, was quoted as saying:
"We offered prayers. Our wish is that Sanatan be established and the demonic forces be destroyed. The BJP government is certain to come. In the coming times, Sanatan will be established in Bengal, the unemployed will get employment, freedom from terror will be achieved-this is our prayer" .
Sanjay Singh seized on this rhetoric, accusing the BJP of dividing the electorate along religious lines to secure votes-a strategy he described as dangerous for India's secular fabric and social harmony.
The "Sanatan vs demonic forces" framing has been widely criticized by opposition leaders as a deliberate attempt to polarize voters in a state with a significant Hindu and Muslim population, undermining the constitutional promise of religious neutrality.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Central security personnel deployed in West Bengal | 2.5 lakh (approx. 250,000) |
| US troops deployed against Iran (for comparison) | 50,000 (5x fewer) |
| Total CAPF strength in India (for perspective) | ~1 million |
| Percent of national CAPF deployed in one state | 25% |
Mamata Banerjee had repeatedly questioned why such a massive force was necessary for a single state election, suggesting: "If one TMC worker is arrested, thousands of my mothers and sisters will come out" .
Sanjay Singh's claim that 27 lakh voters were prevented from voting is a serious allegation that would, if proven, represent one of the largest-scale voter suppression incidents in Indian electoral history. The Election Commission has not responded to these allegations at the time of reporting.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Crime | Rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata |
| Convict | Sanjay Roy (civic volunteer), sentenced to life imprisonment |
| Mother's Candidacy | BJP candidate from Panihati constituency |
| Result | Won |
The CBI has since moved the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty for the convict . The victim's family has continued to demand justice, with the mother stating: "I will raise my voice for those who have forgotten how to protest. If I can serve people, my daughter will also be happy" .
*"Hindustan is the world's largest democracy. Tamil Nadu gave a majority to a new party (TVK). In West Bengal, the media will praise Modi's electoral strategy. But everything that happened in Bengal must be evaluated. The difference of 3-4 lakh votes between BJP and TMC is real. Could the BJP really win by such a margin? The truth is that 27 lakh people were not allowed to vote. If they had, the result would have been different"* .
"Around two lakh central force personnel have been brought into Bengal for the elections. This is unprecedented. Terrorists come and kill Indians in Pahalgam, but they (the BJP government) cannot act against Pakistan; however, for the Bengal polls, Modi brings in all forces" .
"After a very long time, democracy has been established in West Bengal... Take a look at the previous Leftist government, then there was Mamata Banerjee's government. Both of them had established the reign of anarchic elements across Bengal. The rule of the people has been established in Bengal" .
Sanjay Singh's accusations come at a time when India's democratic institutions are under increasing scrutiny. The allegations of excessive force deployment, voter suppression, and exploitation of tragedy point to deeper structural concerns:
Militarization of Elections - The deployment of 2.5 lakh central forces-more than the population of many countries-raises legitimate questions about whether elections are being conducted by consent or by force.
Selective Disenfranchisement - The claim that 27 lakh voters were prevented from voting, if verified, would constitute a massive violation of fundamental democratic rights.
Commodification of Tragedy - The use of a rape victim's mother as a candidate, despite internal party opposition, suggests that ethics are being sacrificed for electoral gain.
Religious Polarization - The "Sanatan vs demonic forces" narrative indicates a deliberate strategy to mobilize voters along religious lines, undermining India's secular constitutional identity.
Sanjay Singh's indictment of the Modi government is devastating in its simplicity:
"This is not democracy-this is loot-shaahi" .
By deploying 2.5 lakh soldiers to defeat a single political opponent, by fielding a rape victim's mother for votes, and by spreading religious hatred under the guise of "Sanatan vs demonic forces," the BJP has, according to Singh, exposed its true face: a party willing to sacrifice democratic norms, ethical boundaries, and social harmony for political power.
The people of West Bengal have spoken at the ballot box. But as Singh and other opposition leaders argue, the question is not just who won-but whether the election was free, fair, and fought on ethical terms.
The answers to those questions may determine not just the future of West Bengal, but the health of India's democracy itself.
