Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Mar 8: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state was being carried out to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Addressing party workers from her sit-in protest site at Esplanade, the Trinamool Congress chief claimed that the revision exercise had led to the deletion of several legitimate voters’ names from the electoral rolls.
Banerjee asserted that even with support from the Election Commission of India, the BJP would not be able to secure victory in the state. “The people of Bengal will give them a befitting reply for snatching their rights,” she said.
Questioning the alleged removal of names, the Chief Minister asked how individuals who had cast their votes in the 2024 Indian general election could now be deemed ineligible following the revision process.
“If someone became the Prime Minister after being elected by voters in 2024, how can some of those voters suddenly be declared ineligible?” she asked, arguing that people who exercised their franchise earlier should not find their names missing from the electoral list.
Banerjee also called upon chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to look into the issue and ensure transparency in the revision process.
Commenting on the resignation of former West Bengal Governor C. V. Ananda Bose on March 5, Banerjee said there should be clarity about the circumstances behind his decision, noting that he still had three years remaining in his term.
She further questioned the earlier resignation of former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had previously served as the Governor of West Bengal, suggesting that these developments also warranted scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Banerjee reiterated that the state government had followed proper protocol regarding the change of venue for a recent event attended by President Droupadi Murmu. She alleged that the BJP was unnecessarily politicising the matter.
According to the Chief Minister, if any mismanagement occurred during the function, responsibility rested with the private organisers and the Airports Authority of India, which had provided the venue, and not with the state government.