TMC flags ‘EPIC’ concern in meet with ECI, demands 2024 as base year for voter list revision

NEW DELHI/Kolkata: A five-member Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation met the full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Delhi on Tuesday and raised several concerns, including the presence of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs), voter intimidation by Central Forces, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party also urged the Commission to use 2024 as the base year for the SIR exercise in West Bengal.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee said they highlighted several points, including SIR.

“The ECI stated that their motive (behind SIR) is that no voter should be left behind. But based on some recent circulars, the approach seems to be eligibility first and inclusion later,” Banerjee said.

The Trinamool Congress delegations suggested that 2024 should be used as the base year for the SIR, which is set to be carried out in West Bengal ahead of next year’s Assembly polls.

Regarding the revision roll, Banerjee stated: “We pointed out that although you (ECI) are talking about revision, it is creating confusion. Under the statute, the revision roll should be based on 2024, that is the base level. This means that voters enrolled till 2024 should remain irrespective of any condition.”

He also pointed out that the poll panel took note of it and said they would consider it. The TMC delegation highlighted that the main concern is the requirement for ‘birth certificates’, to which the ECI said those who are voters will remain voters.

The TMC delegation also raised concerns over the alleged addition of a large number of voters ahead of polls and gave the examples of Haryana and Delhi. They suggested that only new voters between 18 and 21 years of age should be added ahead of the polls.

“How can people aged 50-60 suddenly be part of the bulk voter list and how can the number of new inclusions rise to 40,000?” Banerjee asked. He further stated: “They said those who already are voters will remain voters. If any inclusion is made after this, it will be based on evidence.”

Banerjee added: “The main important issue is the birth certificate, which concerns the years from 1987 to 2002–2003. About this, they (ECI) said that no, they will not rely on it and those who are already voters will remain voters. If any inclusion is made after this, it will be based on evidence. Regarding the clause on the years 1987 and related document production, they said yes, that is fine.” TMC also demanded that no voter should be added to the electoral rolls within three to four months before the elections without prior intimation to political parties. The ECI said that they were seriously considering this, stated Banerjee.

“Regarding Aadhaar card linkage, they said it is not compulsory and they are not doing it. At the BLA level, the requirement that photographs and Aadhaar cards must be submitted, we said this is exposing individuals to risk. We also have experience in this matter. They said they would re-examine how this can be done without exposing photo identity,” he added. TMC drew the ECI’s notice to the inclusion of 4,500 ghost voters in South 24-Parganas’ Champahati.

The TMC leaders also raised the issue of voter turnout data being released late. Bengal minister Firhad Hakim said they also raised the issue of central forces entering booths and influencing voters in some places.

“We proposed to them that if central forces are there, state police should also be there inside the booth. No forces should enter the area where polling is done inside the booths…Our chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, respects two things in democracy — the EC and the Supreme Court... We believe that EC will remain unbiased,” Hakim said.

Besides Hakim and Banerjee, the delegation also included Chandrima Bhattacharya, Aroop Biswas and Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik.

In a post on X, the ECI said that they met the TMC delegation as a part of their outreach with political parties and received their suggestions.

TMC is the political party that the ECI met during its outreach after the new Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, took charge.