Abhishek again demands dissolution of Lok Sabha if EC goes ahead with SIR

Kolkata: Continuing his criticism against the Election Commission’s (EC) move for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government should dissolve the Lok Sabha immediately if the Prime Minister truly supports the exercise.

In a post on Wednesday, the Diamond Harbour MP wrote: “The EC has stated that the voter lists across various states on the basis of which the general elections were held barely a year ago in 2024, are faulty and riddled with irregularities.”

“If that is indeed the case, and if the Government of India agrees with the EC’s assessment, then the first step towards conducting a genuine SIR and standing on moral high ground is the immediate dissolution of Lok Sabha. If one truly supports the idea of SIR, then, as per the EC’s own statement, the people of this country have been betrayed,” he added.

“Also, if the new chief election commissioner is truly as competent as claimed, then the SIR should be implemented across the country, not selectively in poll-bound states,” he pointed out. Recommending the steps to be adopted by EC to fulfil his demands, he said: “@ECISVEEP ECISVEEP AAP CHRONOLOGY SAMAJ LIJIYE: 1) Dissolve the House! 2) Conduct SIR across the country! 3) Go for elections and face the people!”

Meanwhile, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh rejected BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s claim that Diamond Harbour, Abhishek Banerjee’s Constituency, has over 2.59 lakh fake voters.

He said the Lok Sabha polls were organised by the Election Commission under Central Force supervision, and the BJP should first state how many booths they sought re-polls in.

Ghosh noted that the BJP neither demanded re-polls nor lodged complaints then, despite peaceful voting, but is now raising charges.

He added that minor errors in electoral rolls have existed since inception without affecting major elections, and if discrepancies exist, the responsibility lies with the Election Commission, which prepares the voter list.