TMC Delegation Meets ECI

After the meeting, O’Brien told reporters that the party had raised five questions but received no answers. “We began by stating that the CEC has blood on his hands. We raised five questions. Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra and Mamata Thakur spoke for about 40 minutes,” he said. “Then the CEC spoke uninterrupted for an hour. We, too, were allowed to speak, but none of our questions were answered.”

“We presented a list of individuals whose deaths we believe are linked to the SIR process… The CEC said these are merely allegations,” Mahua Moitra told reporters. The TMC MPs questioned why the SIR exercise was not being undertaken in northeastern states that also face infiltration risks, and asked why an electoral roll that was used for the last Lok Sabha election was suddenly considered “unreliable.” They also raised concerns over a new rule allowing the appointment of external Booth Level Agents (BLAs).

The TMC further told the CEC that BJP leaders in West Bengal were claiming that one crore names would be deleted from the voter rolls. “The ECI has taken no cognisance of these comments, nor has it countered the fear-mongering by the BJP,” a TMC leader alleged.

During the meeting, the ECI warned the TMC not to interfere with the independent functioning of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Election Officers (DEOs), who are state government employees on deputation for election-related work.

The Commission also issued a letter to the West Bengal DGP and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, directing them to ensure that BLOs are not threatened or pressured by political party workers. It further cautioned the TMC delegation against influencing BLOs regarding entries of deceased, shifted or duplicate voters, and reiterated that only Indian citizens are entitled to vote under Article 326 of the Constitution, meaning foreigners cannot be included in the rolls.

The TMC delegation escalated its allegations before the EC, claiming that around 40 deaths linked to the SIR process had occurred in the state, an allegation dismissed by the poll body, according to reports. The delegation reportedly accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of having “blood on his hands.” Members of the delegation included Lok Sabha MPs Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Pratima Mondal and Sajda Ahmed, and Rajya Sabha MPs Dola Sen, Mamata Thakur, Saket Gokhale and Prakash Chik Barik.

Sources said the ECI “gave a point-by-point rebuttal of all apprehensions and baseless allegations made by the AITC delegation.” The Commission asked the party to file claims and objections after December 9, when the draft electoral roll will be shared. The ECI has also directed all DEOs to set up new polling stations in slums, high-rise buildings and gated communities, as is being done across the country. Following recent security breaches at the CEO West Bengal office, the ECI ordered the office to be shifted to a more secure location and directed the Kolkata Police Commissioner to ensure full security at both the current and new premises. The Commission also reminded the TMC that while political rhetoric is their prerogative, spreading misinformation about election procedures is unacceptable.

Party sources told news agencies that they have documented 60 incidents allegedly linked to the SIR process — 41 involving common citizens and 19 involving BLOs. Of these, 35 civilians and 4 BLOs have reportedly died, while six civilians and 15 BLOs are undergoing treatment.