As West Bengal gears up for assembly polls, the Congress party is hitting the streets today with a fierce protest against what it calls a botched Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. The party has slammed the process for alleged massive flaws and is pushing hard for a clean, verified voter list.
PCC chief Subhankar Sarkar revealed plans for a marathon 24-hour dharna from 2 PM outside Kolkata’s Chief Electoral Office. ‘We won’t tolerate genuine voters being struck off or ghosts added to the rolls,’ he declared, emphasizing the party’s consistent stance.
Sarkar pointed fingers at the SIR drive started last November 4, warning of widespread voter disenfranchisement. He highlighted that more than 10 million voters have been dragged into hearings over dubious ‘logical discrepancies,’ with their legality under fire.
The leader accused the Election Commission of decisions so poor they’ve invited judicial overrides time and again. Looking ahead, Congress vows to ramp up the movement, calling for the final list by February 28, no deletions based on flimsy grounds, and full authority for registration officials.
The agenda also covers fair processing of Forms 6, 7, and 8, plus swift reinstatement mechanisms for erroneously removed voters with transparent timelines before polling kicks off. In a related development, Calcutta High Court yesterday ordered 200 extra judges from neighboring states to beef up the verification teams handling discrepancy cases.
With elections on the horizon, this showdown highlights deepening rifts over Bengal’s voter registry, potentially reshaping the electoral landscape.