West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Election Commission of India for wrongly declaring living voters as deceased during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. She stated that some of these voters were present to prove they are alive and criticized the ECI for allegedly favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Chief Minister expressed concern that upcoming elections in West Bengal would be compromised if genuine voters were disenfranchised.
During an anti-SIR protest in Esplanade East, Mamata Banerjee assured the voters of her support and urged the media to highlight cases of living voters wrongly classified as dead. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that all eligible voters can participate in the upcoming Assembly elections. The protest, attended by Trinamool Congress leaders and BLO members, aimed to draw attention to the issue of voter misclassification.
The Chief Minister’s demonstration coincided with the impending visit of the ECI’s full bench to Kolkata, led by the Chief Election Commissioner. The protest venue, equipped with a large stage, indicated a prolonged demonstration. Despite no specified end date for the protest, the elaborate setup suggested a sustained effort to address the voter misclassification issue.
