Kolkata: During the all-party meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission of India (EC), Opposition parties urged the poll body to conduct the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections in fewer phases, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of disrespecting women and shouting at the meeting.
During the meeting, BJP pressed for elections to be held in fewer phases — preferably one or two — instead of the extended multi-phase schedule followed in previous elections. The BJP delegation included Tapas Roy, Shishir Bajoria and Jagannath Chattopadhyay.
Leaders of the Left parties, led by Mohammed Salim, also met the Commission’s full bench and echoed the demand for a single-phase election in the state. The Congress, too, is learnt to have made a similar demand. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of disrespecting women and shouting at its delegation during the meeting. The party also alleged that it was not allowed to fully express its concerns regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Senior TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya claimed she was asked not to raise her voice during the discussion, which she described as disrespectful towards women.
“I am a woman and he told me, ‘Don’t shout’. They actually have no respect for women. That is why women’s names are also being struck off from the voter list,” Bhattacharya told reporters after the meeting.
She said it was the responsibility of the Commission to verify voter details. “If my name is missing, it is your responsibility to prove it. Why should I have to stand in a queue? Shouting at women is not your job,” she said.
Alleging that the CEC was unwilling to listen to the delegation’s concerns, Bhattacharya said: “He does not want to hear anyone. He kept speaking to himself and when we tried to speak, he raised his voice.” She added that the Commission appeared displeased because the TMC had approached the Supreme Court over
the SIR issue.
The TMC delegation included senior leaders Firhad Hakim and Rajya Sabha MP-elect Rajeev Kumar. Hakim criticised the SIR exercise, alleging the poll panel’s approach appeared influenced by the BJP’s narrative on infiltration.
“The BJP has created an impression that this state is full of Rohingyas and infiltrators and the Commission seems to have framed its policy accordingly,” Hakim said.
He claimed the process had led to harassment of genuine Indian citizens. “In the last two months of this process, no such proof has been found. Instead, ordinary citizens have been harassed,” he said.
Hakim also alleged the exercise had caused hardship to people standing in long queues to verify their citizenship.
“Hundreds of deaths and many illnesses have occurred. Who will take responsibility for that? People are leaving work and standing in long queues just to prove their citizenship. This policy, shaped by listening to the BJP, has been a mistake,” he said. He added that the party’s concern was to ensure genuine voters are not deprived of their democratic rights.
“Our only request is that no Indian citizen should be deprived,” Hakim said.