TMC Announces Major Protests on National Voters' Day Over Bengal SIR Controversy
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has declared it will take to the streets this Sunday, which coincidentally marks National Voters' Day, to protest what it calls the "hurried and unplanned" implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. The party claims this process has tragically resulted in "the deaths of 126 people, including booth-level officers."
Abhishek Banerjee Questions Election Commission's Credibility
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (EC) for its failure to comply with a Supreme Court order. He highlighted that the EC missed its self-imposed deadline of January 24 to publish the list of voters with logical discrepancies across all gram panchayats and municipal wards.
In a series of posts on social media platform X, Banerjee expressed his frustration, writing: "Despite a clear order from the Supreme Court and its own formal communication, the EC has failed to release and publish the list of logical discrepancies that it was mandated to publish by Jan 24." He further questioned the EC's software capabilities, noting that the same system which allegedly analyzed over 7 crore enumeration forms and detected discrepancies within one hour on December 16 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 EC trying to hide?
- If discrepancies could be identified in one hour, why does it take days to disclose them?
- Is the EC looking for logic or hiding the discrepancies?
During a virtual address to nearly 1 lakh party workers, booth-level agents (BLAs), and functionaries alongside TMC state president Subrata Bakshi on Saturday, Banerjee also raised serious concerns. He alleged that "micro-observers sent by the EC are asking for the login IDs of District Election Officers (DEOs)," vowing to address this issue legally and take appropriate action.
Formation of Voter Protection Committees and Internal Party Directives
Banerjee announced that as soon as the list of logical discrepancies or inconsistencies is published, the TMC will form booth-based voter protection committees. These committees will include all BLA-2s and booth presidents to safeguard voter rights.
Since the commencement of the SIR, the TMC has established assistance camps at booths and set up "war rooms" in various assembly segments. However, Banerjee sternly noted during the meeting that some legislators and MPs were not dedicating sufficient time to these crucial war rooms, emphasizing the need for greater commitment.
Resistance to WhatsApp Instructions and Call for Widespread Protests
Banerjee criticized the EC for not allowing TMC's BLA-2s to participate in hearings, stating: "The commission did not allow our BLA-2s to participate in the hearings. While other parties complied with WhatsApp instructions, we did not. Elections are not conducted on WhatsApp. We resisted and insisted that BLA-2 would be present."
He instructed all TMC workers and supporters to join protest marches in every block on Sunday to protect voters' rights. Additionally, a TMC delegation led by Banerjee is likely to meet Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Aariz Aftab on January 27 around 3:30 PM. Although the TMC had requested a Sunday appointment, EC officers indicated that the CEO was unavailable on that day.
The protests underscore the escalating tensions between the TMC and the Election Commission over the SIR process, with the party mobilizing its grassroots network to challenge what it perceives as systemic failures and lack of transparency in the electoral preparation for West Bengal.
