Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Saturday hit out at the Election Commission (EC) and alleged that it was acting at the behest of the BJP after four members of her family, including her mother and sons, were summoned for a hearing following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Dastidar’s 90-year-old mother, Ira Mitra, sons Biswanath and Baidyanath, and sister Piyali Mitra are among the 32 lakh voters who have been summoned by the EC across the state for the primary hearing.
While her sons are voters of South Kolkata, her mother and sister are voters from Madhyamgram in the North 24 Parganas district.
“The EC is acting on the instructions of the BJP. My mother and sister have been voters in the same booth where I am registered. My sons are well-known doctors…their names have also been left out. My family members are genuine voters. They are Indian citizens and have been voting for many years now,” Dastidar told the media.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee while addressing a press conference said, “I heard the names of her (Kakoli) two sons and mother, was not there. What else to expect from BJP. Many names have been deleted.”
However, CEO West Bengal posted on X, “The Claim is misleading. The Enumeration forms clearly shows that there is no linkage. So they are called for hearing as per relevant provisions of the notification of ECI.”
The second phase of the SIR hearings began across West Bengal on Saturday.
Veteran BJP leader Rahul Sinha said the EC would have summoned them because of “some mismatch” in their documents. “They just have to attend the hearing and clarify why their names could not be mapped. There is no need to see conspiracy behind everything,” Sinha said.
Meanwhile, a Trinamool Congress delegation, including state Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, Moloy Ghatak, Aroop Biswas and Shashi Panja, visited the chief electoral officer’s office on Saturday and submitted a letter raising several issues.
“The first concerns ASDD — absent, shifted, dead and duplicate. Around 58 lakh names have been removed through Form 7. This is reflected on the ERO Net. Form 7 should only be issued by the office of the electoral registration officer (ERO), but that authority is being curtailed by the Centre,” Bhattacharya told mediapersons.
“The political party has set a target of removing two crore names, and people are being struck off indiscriminately. We have raised our voice against this. They are violating the law and the Constitution. The role of the ERO is being snatched away, and we cannot allow this,” she added.
According to the TMC delegation, hearings were supposed to begin on December 17 and were then deferred to the December 23 because on both occasions, they alleged, the EC was not ready.
“Now, finally, hearings have started today. But how will those who have to travel from outside the state make arrangements, or manage school or work commitments, and complete this process in just five days? The real aim appears to be the removal of voters. The true aim of democracy is inclusion, but in the name of intensive verification, the ethos of inclusivity is being destroyed,” said Bhattacharya.
“A private agency is conducting a KAP survey — knowledge, attitude and practice. What does this mean? Why should voters be subjected to this kind of scrutiny?” the delegation questioned.
Alleging that the list of the 55 lakh names removed should be made public and easily accessible, the delegation said, “Why is it being hidden? Hearings have begun, yet multiple living persons, even councillors, have been declared dead.”
Additionally, the delegation also questioned how the elderly had to travel long distances for the hearings.
“In these hearings, people are being asked to travel 30-40 km. How will the senior citizens manage this? By walking? If anyone wants to register as a new voter, how will they do so? To whom will they submit the form? Are booth level officers (BLOs) sitting at the booths? And the app that has been launched is full of errors. Creating such an app is effectively the same as doing nothing. Our duty is to protect the electorate and their right to vote — not to ensure that they vote for the Trinamool Congress. This is about their rights and their agency,” Bhattacharya said.