Mamata Banerjee slams EC: 54 lakh deleted from draft roll without being heard
On December 16, the EC released the draft roll of West Bengal in which the names of over 58 lakh electors were deleted on grounds of being absent, shifted, dead and duplication.
Upping the ante against the Election Commission (EC) over the SIR exercise, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that the poll panel brought in the concept of “logical discrepancies” to remove genuine voters from the electoral roll. She also slammed the EC for “unilaterally” deleting 54 lakh names from the draft roll without giving them a chance to present their case.
Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, the chief minister said, “They have already deleted 54 lakhs names, but did not give any explanation why they deleted so many names. Now, they are planning to delete another 1.30 crores in the name of logical discrepancies. This term was not mentioned when the SIR was announced.”
Logical discrepancy was not part of the original SIR verification process, and it was included as an afterthought to add to deletions, the TMC chief said, alleging a “BJP-EC nexus”.
On December 16, the EC released the draft roll of West Bengal in which the names of over 58 lakh electors were deleted on grounds of being absent, shifted, dead and duplication.
Before the launch of the SIR exercise, there were 7.6 crore voters on the roll. After the first phase of SIR, 7.08 crore (92.40%) names were retained in the draft electoral roll, and 58 lakh names were removed.
“They (EC officials) are not accepting domicile certificate or any other documents of the state government. Why are they doing this? They (the Opposition BJP) are thinking that by doing such things, they will win Bengal. They are playing the same game in Bengal that they had played in Bihar or Maharashtra,” the Chief Minister said.
Without taking any names, she alleged that an Army commandant is involved in the SIR exercise by acting “like a BJP agent”. “I have information that a commandant is working for SIR at Fort William. He is working as a BJP agent. I request him, please don’t do this,” the CM said. Fort William in Kolkata is the operational headquarters of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command. She also claimed that thousands of Form 7 (objection forms) were recovered from a BJP leader’s car during a police check.
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The ruling TMC, in a post on X, claimed, “A vehicle of BJP leaders carrying approximately 3,000–4,000 objection forms (Form 7) was caught with voter names and details pre-filled across the district, but a majority of them are from Taldangra AC. There were five BJP workers… Two were caught, while three fled the spot. An FIR has been lodged against them.”
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
