TMC Confronts Election Commission Over Voter Roll Revision Deaths
A high-level delegation from the Trinamool Congress met with the full bench of the Election Commission of India in Delhi on Friday, making serious allegations about the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The 10-member team, led by Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien, accused Election Commission officials of responsibility for approximately 40 deaths they claim are linked to the voter verification exercise.
Delegation Composition and Serious Allegations
The delegation included prominent Lok Sabha MPs Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Pratima Mondal, and Sajda Ahmed, along with Rajya Sabha members Dola Sen, Mamata Thakur, Saket Gokhale, and Prakash Chik Barik.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, O'Brien revealed that the confrontation began with the dramatic statement that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has "blood on his hands" regarding the SIR-related fatalities.
"We started the meeting by stating that the CEC has blood on his hands. We raised five questions. After this, Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, and Mamata Thakur spoke and shared whatever they had to in about 40 minutes," O'Brien stated.
Unanswered Questions and Party Concerns
The TMC MPs presented the commission with a list of 40 individuals whose deaths they allege are directly connected to the SIR process. According to Mahua Moitra, the commission dismissed these claims as "mere allegations."
The party raised five critical questions during the meeting:
- Questioning the claim that the exercise would weed out non-voters
- Asking why Northeastern states sharing borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar aren't undergoing similar exercises
- Challenging how the electoral roll used in the last Lok Sabha elections suddenly became "unreliable"
- Demanding responsibility for alleged SIR-linked deaths
- Expressing concerns about the neutrality of the SIR process and recent rule amendments allowing external Booth Level Agents
"Then the CEC spoke uninterrupted for one hour. We were also not interrupted while we spoke, but we did not receive any answer to any of our five questions," O'Brien added.
Compiled List of Tragedies and Political Context
Party sources revealed they have compiled a comprehensive list of 60 tragedies linked to the SIR process - including 41 common citizens and 19 Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Among common individuals, 35 have died and 6 are receiving medical treatment. Among the affected BLOs, 4 have died while 15 are hospitalized or receiving care.
The TMC also informed the CEC that BJP leaders in West Bengal are claiming that one crore voters' names will be deleted from electoral rolls. A TMC leader noted that "the ECI has taken no cognisance of these comments, nor have they negated the fear mongering by the BJP."
The Special Intensive Revision is currently underway in 12 states and Union territories, including West Bengal, amid growing political tensions and concerns about the process's implementation and consequences.
