The national capital witnessed a high-voltage showdown today at the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters. A four-member TMC delegation, including Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghosh, and newly sworn-in MP Menaka Guruswamy, arrived at 10 AM to register complaints regarding the deletion of 27 lakh names from Bengal’s voter list and the alleged partisan conduct of election officials.

The meeting took a bitter turn as the delegation walked out within minutes. Speaking to the press, Derek O’Brien alleged, “The Chief Election Commissioner told us to leave within just 7 minutes of the meeting. We presented 9 letters written by CM Mamata Banerjee that haven’t been answered yet. We showed 6 pieces of photographic evidence of officials consorting with BJP workers.”

The TMC leader further challenged the commission to release the audio or video footage of the meeting to the public. “How can you assure free and fair polls when you treat MPs this way?” he questioned. The protest, which was initially planned as a dharna yesterday, was postponed after the ECI granted this morning’s appointment. However, following today’s confrontation, the tension between the TMC and the ECI has escalated to an all-time high.