The Election Commission on Monday held separate consultations with political parties in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections, with the Trinamool Congress alleging harassment of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the BJP demanding that polling be conducted in fewer phases.
Delegations from the ruling Trinamool Congress, the BJP, CPI(M), Congress and other parties met the full bench of the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during interactions held at a hotel in New Town on the eastern outskirts of Kolkata.
The consultations come amid an intensifying political confrontation between the TMC and the BJP over the ongoing SIR exercise, which the ruling party claims is aimed at removing genuine voters from the rolls. The Election Commission has rejected the allegation.
Senior TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the party’s concerns about the revision exercise were not properly addressed during the meeting.
“I am a woman, and I was told ‘don't shout’. Why should I not raise my voice when we are speaking about people's rights?” Bhattacharya told reporters after the interaction.
She said the Commission repeatedly cited the matter being pending before the Supreme Court when the party attempted to raise questions about the revision process.
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“Whenever we spoke about SIR, they said the matter is in the Supreme Court. If that is the case, why did they call us for the meeting? When they have invited us, they must listen to what we have to say,” she said.
According to official data released on February 28, around 63.66 lakh names, about 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted from the voter rolls since the revision began in November last year.
Kolkata Mayor and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim alleged that the exercise had forced ordinary citizens to repeatedly prove their nationality.
“The BJP has created a perception that this state is a place for Rohingyas and infiltrators, and the commission framed policies accordingly. But in the two-month-long process, you did not find any proof of that. Instead, Indian citizens were harassed,” Hakim said.
The BJP, however, raised concerns about the conduct of polls and demanded a shorter polling schedule.
“We demanded a one, two or three-phase election, but not more,” BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay said.
The CPI(M) sought a single-phase election, arguing that multi-phase polling allows anti-social elements to move between districts and influence voting. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar assured the parties that the Commission would ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
“The Election Commission has zero tolerance towards violence. We will not leave any stone unturned in ensuring impartial, transparent and peaceful elections,” he said.
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