Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 4: Ahead of the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, a BJP delegation on Monday urged the Election Commission (EC) to impose additional safeguards in the state, alleging the “widespread issuance of backdated and forged documents” to establish fake citizenship and residence proof.

The delegation comprising West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, MP Biplab Deb, and BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya met the Election Commission in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum challenging several official documents issued by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. These included birth, residential, caste, and forest rights certificates.

Speaking after the meeting, Malviya said, “We have requested the Election Commission to review the documentation process for the SIR in West Bengal. The Commission has taken note of our concerns.”

The EC had earlier initiated the SIR process across India—starting with Bihar in June—asking voters to furnish documents to establish their eligibility for voter ID cards. An indicative list of 11 documents, including birth, caste, and forest rights certificates, as well as passports, was circulated, excluding Aadhaar and ration cards.

In its memorandum, the BJP delegation alleged that the TMC government had facilitated large-scale issuance of forged and backdated documents under government schemes like ‘Duare Sarkar’, which, it claimed, was being “misused to legitimise illegal infiltrators from across the border.”

“Voting is not just a constitutional right but the foundation of democracy. However, in West Bengal, serious irregularities have been observed in the issuance and authentication of voter registration documents,” the BJP memorandum stated. It claimed that since 2020, the number of such documents had sharply increased, undermining the integrity of the electoral rolls.

The BJP urged the EC to treat West Bengal as a “special case” requiring enhanced scrutiny and safeguards. The party proposed that birth certificates issued after June 24, 2025—the date on which the EC ordered the SIR exercise—should not be accepted unless verified by Booth-Level Officers.

It further recommended that only permanent residence certificates signed by Group-A officers be accepted, and forest rights certificates should be considered valid only if issued before April 2, 2025, when a new Forest Secretary was appointed.

The memorandum also raised concerns over the alleged mass issuance of caste certificates through ‘Duare Sarkar’ camps without proper field verification. “A large number of OBC-A certificates have been issued to members of the Muslim community, many of whom are suspected to be illegal infiltrators,” the BJP claimed. The party noted that the Calcutta High Court had already declared the OBC-A category illegal and that the issue was still sub judice.

It also suggested that caste certificates issued without verification, as well as all OBC-A certificates issued between 2011 and 2024, should be rejected.

Additionally, the BJP recommended that land-related documents such as Records of Rights (khatians) before the first Duare Sarkar camp in 2020, and Provident Fund records for landless agricultural labourers prior to the last SIR, be added to the approved list of documents.

The party also flagged concerns about the creation of new “family registers” and records under schemes like MGNREGA, alleging that they could be fabricated post facto to include ineligible names in voter lists. It urged the EC not to accept family registers prepared after June 24, 2025, or any records generated under MGNREGA for SIR purposes.

The BJP also pointed to the state’s “Banglar Bari” housing scheme and land patta distribution drives, alleging that they were being used to create false documentation after central funds under PM Awas Yojana were stopped. “All certificates issued under the Banglar Bari scheme should be excluded, and land pattas should only be accepted if issued before June 24, 2025,” the memorandum stated.

The BJP leaders concluded by stressing that the sanctity of electoral rolls was essential for maintaining the integrity of India’s democracy and urged the Election Commission to ensure that only genuine citizens are enrolled as voters in West Bengal.