TMC Announces Major Street Protests on National Voters' Day Over Bengal SIR Controversy
The Trinamool Congress has declared it will take to the streets this Sunday, which coincidentally marks National Voters' Day, to protest against what it calls the "hurried and unplanned" Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal. The party claims this process has tragically resulted in the deaths of 126 individuals, including dedicated booth-level officers who were performing their electoral duties.
Abhishek Banerjee Questions Election Commission's Credibility
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission, questioning its failure to comply with a Supreme Court order. The apex court had mandated the EC to publish a comprehensive list of voters exhibiting logical discrepancies within a self-imposed deadline of January 24th across all gram panchayats and municipal wards.
Taking to social media platform X, Banerjee expressed his frustration, writing: "Despite a clear order from the Supreme Court and its own formal communication, the Election Commission has failed to release and publish the list of logical discrepancies that it was mandated to publish by January 24th." He further highlighted the irony, noting that the same software which allegedly assessed over 7 crore enumeration forms and miraculously detected these discrepancies within one hour on December 16th, immediately after the draft rolls were published, now appears to have "lost its logic, speed, credibility, and confidence."
Three Unanswered Questions and Allegations of Concealment
Banerjee posed three critical questions that he claims remain starkly unanswered by the poll body:
- What exactly is the Election Commission trying to hide from the public and political parties?
- If discrepancies could be identified in just one hour, why does it take multiple days to disclose them transparently?
- Is the EC genuinely looking for logical errors in the voter lists, or is it actively hiding discrepancies to manipulate the electoral process?
During a virtual address to nearly 1 lakh party workers, booth-level agents, and functionaries on Saturday, alongside TMC state president Subrata Bakshi, Banerjee made another serious allegation. He claimed that "micro-observers sent by the Election Commission are asking for the login IDs of District Election Officers (DEOs)," a practice the TMC plans to challenge legally and take appropriate action against.
Organizational Response and Internal Criticism
Banerjee announced that as soon as the list of logical discrepancies or inconsistencies is finally published, the party will immediately form booth-based voter protection committees. These committees will include all BLA-2s and booth presidents to safeguard electoral integrity at the grassroots level.
Since the commencement of the SIR process, the TMC has established:
- Assistance camps at various polling booths to help voters navigate the revision process
- Strategic 'war rooms' in assembly segments to coordinate party efforts and monitor developments
However, during the meeting, Banerjee sternly criticized some legislators and Members of Parliament for "not dedicating enough time to these crucial 'war rooms,'" emphasizing the need for greater commitment from elected representatives.
Resistance to WhatsApp Instructions and Upcoming Actions
Banerjee revealed that the Election Commission did not permit TMC's BLA-2s to participate in important hearings, while other political parties complied with instructions delivered via WhatsApp. "Elections are not conducted on WhatsApp," he asserted, explaining that the TMC resisted this approach and insisted on the physical presence of BLA-2 representatives during proceedings.
He has instructed all TMC workers and supporters to actively join protest marches in every block on Sunday to protect voters' rights and demand accountability. Additionally, a TMC delegation led by Banerjee is scheduled to meet with Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab on January 27th around 3:30 PM. While the party had initially sought a Sunday appointment, EC officers confirmed the CEO was unavailable on that day.
The protests on National Voters' Day symbolize a significant confrontation between West Bengal's ruling party and the constitutional body responsible for conducting free and fair elections, with voter list integrity and procedural transparency at the heart of the dispute.
