Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has announced a decisive plan to escalate his party's confrontation with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities and voter harassment in West Bengal. The Diamond Harbour MP declared that he will personally lead a party delegation to New Delhi on December 31 to meet Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Core Demands and Allegations of Discrepancy
Banerjee's primary mission is to seek answers regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted in the state. He alleged that the process has led to a massive 'logical discrepancy' affecting a staggering 1.36 crore (13.6 million) names on the electoral rolls. The TMC leader claimed that a significant number of legitimate, living voters have been incorrectly marked as deceased in the lists.
"I am going to meet the chief election commissioner on Dec 31 and seek answers to questions. If their intent is correct and they don't have anything to hide, they should answer our questions," Banerjee stated emphatically. The party's key demand will be for the Commission to provide a complete list of these 1.36 crore voters flagged as suspicious. He warned that failure to comply would result in the TMC blockading the Election Commission's office in the national capital.
Questioning the Motive Behind SIR and Threatening Agitation
Banerjee linked the initiation of the SIR exercise to accusations from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about alleged illegal inclusions. "The SIR exercise was initiated because the BJP thought that nearly 1 crore people would be deleted from the voters' list. They cast aspersions on Bangladeshis and Rohingya being included," he said. Turning the argument around, he demanded that the EC must now reveal how many such infiltrators were actually identified during the entire process.
To highlight what he called targeted action against Bengal, Banerjee presented comparative data. He noted that while only 5.7% of names were deleted in Bengal, the figures were much higher in other states: 12.5% in Tamil Nadu, 10% in Gujarat, and over 12% in Uttar Pradesh. "Why isn't the EC sending micro-observers to these states?" he questioned, alleging a conspiracy by the central government to "pick and choose voters" in Bengal over the past four and a half years.
Roadmap of Protests Starting January 2
Asserting that the party's patience has run out, Abhishek Banerjee issued a clear ultimatum and plan for public agitation. From January 2, the TMC will take to the streets across the state to protest the alleged exclusion of voters. "We are starting a campaign from Jan 2. During the SIR exercise, we did not undertake any programmes. Our responsibility is to bring the work of our govt over the past 15 years to the doorstep of the state's people," he explained.
He framed the issue as a direct threat to democracy in Bengal, stating, "Many people are being excluded from the voter list as part of a conspiracy to take over Bengal. We will protest on the streets." This announcement sets the stage for a significant political confrontation in the new year, with the TMC positioning itself as the defender of Bengali voters against what it perceives as an unfair and politically motivated electoral revision process.
