By L A Adithya
Likely to stir up an impending and expected uproar in West Bengal, the publication of the voter list following the process of Special Intensive Revision sees a total of 58 lakh voters deleted and deemed illegitimate in the state. The list comprises names of the voters, of which 24 lakh are dead, 19 lakh have relocated, 12 lakh are missing, and 1.3 lakh are considered duplicates.
This release marks the conclusion of the first phase of SIR in West Bengal. The field is now open for the people who have objections or queries regarding the publication of the voter list or whose names have been ‘wrongfully’ excluded from the list. The final list of voters after considering all the objections and making revisions will be released next year in February, post which the Assembly polls are expected to be held.
Calling the SIR an “injustice,” a Trinamool MP put out a strong statement, alleging that the government was removing legitimate voters. Likewise, Trinamool chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the government and the Election Commission of illegitimizing lakhs of voters’ names despite their legitimacy. At a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Mamata called on the people by tapping into their sentiments and asking them to stand up against the Centre and fight the injustice of having their names removed from the list incorrectly.
On the flip side, the Center also fired shots at the TMC government and blatantly accused Mamata of causing this outrage solely to secure the party’s vote bank by allowing illegal immigrants in the state to vote. The publication of the final draft list is likely to erupt another wave of protest from the TMC-led government later on, according to reports.
After the SIR exercise carried out in Bihar flushed out over 60 lakh voter names from the voter list, this exercise in West Bengal now comes as no surprise, given the state’s alleged propensity to illegal immigration, as the Center believes, while the incumbent government in the state fears the BJP government is getting a foothold through wrongful removal of voters.