Kolkata: In the run-up to the West Bengal assembly elections, an unlikely political convergence is taking shape in the state with the ruling TMC and the opposition CPI(M) and Congress raising similar concerns over the post-SIR revision of electoral rolls.
The flashpoint is the Election Commission’s SIR that has seen around 63.66 lakh names deleted since the exercise began, while nearly 60 lakh voters have been placed in an “under adjudication” category, triggering protests across the political spectrum except the BJP.
The row is set to reach a political crescendo on Friday when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee plans to sit on a dharna at Dharmatala in central Kolkata, a move the TMC hopes will transform the technical dispute over voter rolls into a broader campaign around “voting rights”.
Political scenarios being weighed by TMC
Insiders in the ruling party said discussions are already underway on possible scenarios that could emerge from the ongoing revision exercise.
One possibility being discussed within TMC circles is that the Election Commission could announce the assembly polls while leaving a large number of “under adjudication” voters unresolved.
Another scenario being weighed is a phased disposal of cases while allowing the rest to remain outside the final rolls, effectively disenfranchising them during the election.
For the Trinamool Congress, both possibilities open a political line of attack.
Senior TMC leaders argue that a voter whose name has been deleted can still apply for inclusion through Form 6, but those whose names are marked “under adjudication” remain in limbo — unable to vote and unable to immediately reapply.
“That means lakhs of voters could be kept hanging in uncertainty. That is a direct assault on democratic rights,” a senior TMC leader said, hinting at the political messaging likely to emerge from Banerjee’s Dharmatala protest.
Talk of legal action and ‘political conspiracy’
TMC leaders are also weighing a more dramatic possibility. The unresolved voter list issue could be used as a pretext for imposition of President’s Rule in the state before the elections, a scenario the party describes as a “political conspiracy”.
The party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has already indicated that the matter may be pursued legally, even as the TMC prepares for a sustained political campaign on the ground.
At the same time, the party leadership is also discussing an emotional political appeal to voters, urging those who get to vote to remember those who could not because their names were kept pending under adjudication.
Left front steps up protest
The issue has also pushed opposition parties that are otherwise bitter rivals into a rare alignment.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front on Wednesday organised a march to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office, demanding that the electoral rolls be corrected before elections are announced.
Speaking at the programme, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim alleged that the revision exercise had resulted in widespread harassment of voters.
“The Nirbachan (Election) Commission has turned into a Nirjatan (torture) Commission. Prepare a correct voter list first. Elections cannot be held after deleting genuine voters,” Salim said.
He warned that Left activists were prepared to stage an indefinite protest outside the CEO’s office if necessary, responding to a call issued by Left Front chairman Biman Bose.
Congress demands delay in poll announcement
The Congress also sharpened its attack on the poll panel.
Congress Working Committee member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding that elections should not be announced until the status of voters under adjudication is settled.
State Congress president Subhankar Sarkar questioned why the “unprecedented inconsistencies” had surfaced only in West Bengal.
“Why have over 60 lakh citizens been kept under adjudication? Even a single valid voter being excluded would be a grave assault on democracy,” he said.
BJP maintains distance
The BJP, however, has adopted a markedly different line.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the issue falls within the domain of the Election Commission and the judiciary, though he added that complaints submitted through Form 7 seeking deletion of names must also be resolved before elections are held.
Election Commission sources, meanwhile, have indicated that many names remain under adjudication because supporting information has not yet been uploaded, and the role of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs is now under scrutiny.
The Trinamool Congress has rejected that explanation.
“Tried to rush through the process and now the Commission wants to shift the blame on EROs,” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.
Larger political narrative emerging
Beyond the bureaucratic explanation lies a deeper political battle.
The SIR exercise has unfolded against the backdrop of the BJP’s long-running campaign on “large-scale infiltration” from Bangladesh to West Bengal, an issue the party has been aggressively foregrounding ahead of the elections.
Opposition parties, however, argue that the voter list revision is turning into a political weapon that could disproportionately affect minorities, Hindu refugees, Adivasis and other marginal communities.
With the elections approaching fast, the dispute over electoral rolls is rapidly transforming into a larger narrative battle over citizenship, infiltration and voting rights — themes that are likely to dominate Bengal’s political discourse in the weeks ahead.
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