Bengal BJP president accuses Mamata of creating unnecessary controversy over SIR

KOLKATA: On the day when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) for defeating 58 lakh voters name in Bengal , and voters are unaware of the fact, BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya on Tuesday claimed that CM Mamata Banerjee is trying to create unnecessary controversy on SIR and mislead the voters.

Addressing a press conference at Salt Lake, Bhattacharya said that till now Mamata Banerjee government has failed to take any action against fake voters and now she is trying to mislead people on SIR. Even if she has pleaded CEC Gyanesh Kumar to come to Bengal to overview the

SIR process, because she alleged gross irregularities its not true.”

Bhattacharya’s comments come amidst the ongoing political contest between TMC and BJP over the Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal, with the TMC accusing the BJP of spreading hatred and divisive politics.

The issue highlights the ongoing debate over voter list accuracy and allegations of voter manipulation in West Bengal.

The BJP on Monday accused the ruling TMC of “deliberately distorting” the purpose of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal to safeguard what it described as the party’s “fake vote bank”, claiming that infiltrators were being added to the rolls while Indian voters were being struck off.

“SIR is not just a simple name inclusion exercise. It is a battle to protect the backbone of democracy,” Bhattacharya added.

“Our stance is clear - detect, delete, and deport, but Mamata Banerjee says that if someone has slipped through, so what, their name should still remain on the voter list, the names of Rohingya, Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators, everyone’s names should be on the voter list... This is their agenda, and they know it’s not possible.

“Earlier, she used to say that nothing would come of SIR.

Bhattacharya also alleged that TMC is pressuring BLOs to upload incorrect voters and documents; there’s increasing mental pressure on them. SIR is happening in 12 states, but is there any commotion in any other state? The commotion is only happening in West Bengal.