West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is leading a protest against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, expressing concerns that around 1.2 crore voters may be removed. The State BJP unit has dismissed Banerjee’s claims, suggesting her reaction stems from fears of potential defeat in the upcoming Assembly poll.
The Congress and CPI-M have criticized both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP for politicizing the SIR process. State Congress leader Roahan Mitra highlighted the attempt to create a religious divide by spreading false information and accused both parties of responsibility for deaths during the exercise.
Former West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh implied that Mamata Banerjee is anxious about losing the election due to the identification of fake voters through the SIR process. The CPI-M has also accused Banerjee of involvement in bringing outsiders for the electoral roll exercise, raising concerns about the identification of genuine voters.
Banerjee, addressing an event in Kolkata, expressed dismay over the alleged deletions from the electoral list, citing the removal of 58 lakh names initially and claiming that an additional 80 lakh names would be deleted under a new rule of ‘logical discrepancy’. She emphasized the need to prevent the manipulation of the electorate through the SIR process.
