Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 8 : AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday raised concern over the potential exclusion of millions of voters through SIR in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, calling for a speedy formation of the Foreigners' Tribunal.
Speaking to ANI, Owaisi noted the number of Muslim voters deleted in five assembly constintiuencies including Samserganj, Mothabari, Manikchak and Berhampore.
"There are five assembly constituencies that have received extensive media coverage. One is Samserganj, where 55% of Muslim names are on the adjudication list. Another is Mothabari, where 54.2% of Muslim names are on the adjudication list. Another is Manikchak, where 50% are on the list. Another is Berhampore, where 61.6% of Muslim names are on the adjudication list," he claimed.
Warning that many may lose their constitutional right to vote if Foreigners' Tribunals are not operationalised immediately, he said, "We hope that the Foreigners' Tribunal is formed as soon as possible. Many people's names have been included, but millions are still left out. People are worried. Some are standing in lines, some have no clue. So, there's a dire need for clarity on this, and we hope that the Election Commission of India will take action. The tribunal should be formed as soon as possible before the elections so that the right to vote, a constitutional right, can be granted to them."
There have been several confrontations and a tussle between the TMC and the ECI over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The TMC has accused the ECI of working on the behest of the Opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to delete the names of the voters from the electoral rolls.
Earlier today, a meeting between a TMC and ECI was held, with the poll body stating that they have been given a "straight talk" that elections in the state will be fear-free, violence-free, intimidation-free, inducement-free, raid-free, and source-jamming-free.
"ECI's Straight-talk to Trinamool Congress. This time, the Elections in West Bengal would surely be: Fear-free, Violence-free, Intimidation-free, Inducement-free, and without any Raid, Booth Jamming and Source Jamming," the poll body said on X.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar requested TMC MP Derek O' Brien to maintain decorum, stating that shouting and inappropriate behaviour are unacceptable in the Commission's premises.
The party has also separately written to the poll body, expressing "grave concern" over claims that politically biased officials and observers are threatening electoral neutrality in the state ahead of the Assembly election.
In the letter, the party flagged concerns over the "neutrality, fairness, and transparency" of the electoral process, asserting that recent developments point to a disturbing erosion of institutional impartiality.
Polling for the 294-member Assembly in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
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