Kolkata Political Parties Mobilize to Restore Voting Rights After SIR Deletions
In a significant civic effort, political workers from Trinamool Congress, Congress, Left parties, and SUCI in Kolkata are actively reaching out to citizens who were omitted from the electoral roll following the Summary Revision (SIR) exercise. Their mission is to assist these disenfranchised voters in filing appeals at tribunals to reclaim their fundamental voting rights. This grassroots mobilization comes amid widespread reports of bulk deletions that have left many residents unable to participate in the democratic process.
Trinamool Congress Leads with War Rooms and Assistance Camps
Local Trinamool units appear to be the most proactive in this endeavor, establishing dedicated "war rooms" and SIR assistance camps across key areas of the city. In neighborhoods such as Chetla, Pratapaditya Road, and Bhowanipore, party workers claim to be operating round the clock to help people get their names reinstated on the electoral roll. A Trinamool volunteer in Chetla explained, "We have created special desks where our volunteers are meticulously filling out forms for elderly citizens and those unfamiliar with the complex application process."
According to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Member Mayor-in-Council (MMiC) Sandip Ranjan Bakshi, the party's efforts have yielded tangible results. "On Monday alone, we prepared 27 applications, followed by 20 each on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our dedicated members and legal experts have been personally accompanying deleted voters to the Survey Building to ensure their tribunal applications are filed correctly and promptly," Bakshi stated. A party worker from Pratapaditya Road described the initiative as "a mission", emphasizing that they are proactively calling affected voters, verifying their details, and assisting in drafting precise tribunal pleas to avoid rejections.
In Shyampukur, where over 2,000 voters were omitted on a single day, Trinamool candidate Sashi Panja highlighted the urgency. "Our supporters are working tirelessly to file tribunal appeals by Thursday. Some party members have even been relieved from campaign duties to focus entirely on helping these affected voters," Panja noted, adding that she herself faced adjudication but was subsequently cleared.
Opposition Parties Join the Effort with Legal Support
Opposition parties have also stepped up, albeit on a smaller scale, to address the electoral roll crisis. Ashutosh Chatterjee, Congress candidate from Rashbehari, who filed his nomination on Wednesday, was escorted by a group of deleted voters as a symbolic protest against the mass disenfranchisement. "The Election Commission was supposed to open help desks for online applications, but they failed to do so. In response, political parties have chipped in to fill this critical gap," Chatterjee asserted.
Prasenjit Bose, chairman of the SIR committee for the state Congress unit, reported that a team at Bidhan Bhavan managed thousands of cases within 24 hours. "Assistance camps are operational in every district. Since Tuesday, I have handled a significant number of cases from Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, and both North and South 24 Parganas. In Kolkata itself, we are actively helping deleted voters navigate the process," Bose elaborated.
CPM state committee member Madhuja Sen Roy disclosed that they have formed district-wise legal cells to provide structured aid. "We are leveraging legal expertise to file applications effectively. For instance, in Galsi, we organized a rally of affected voters to the district office on Wednesday to highlight their plight," Roy said. Similarly, SUCI has enlisted advocates to man district-wise help desks, with state secretariat member Tarunkanti Naskar confirming, "We have established help desks in collaboration with the Legal Service Centre to offer comprehensive support."
Challenges and Community Response in Howrah
In Howrah, where offline applications have commenced, voters described the procedure as a "document-heavy process" that poses significant hurdles. Kamalika Biswas, one of the many whose name was deleted, shared her experience, "My Block Level Assistant (BLA) was instrumental in helping me with the intricate details and paperwork required for the appeal." This underscores the reliance on local assistance and the complexities involved in restoring voting rights post-SIR deletions.
The collective efforts of political parties across Kolkata highlight a crucial intervention in safeguarding democratic participation. As citizens grapple with bureaucratic challenges, these initiatives aim to ensure that no voter is left behind in the electoral process, reinforcing the importance of civic engagement and legal recourse in upholding voting rights.
