Patna (Bihar) [India], March 11 : Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi on Wednesday defended the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal, asserting that the process is a constitutional right and accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of attempting to manipulate elections with "fake votes."
Speaking to ANI, Saraogi said the Election Commission has the constitutional right to conduct the SIR process and warned that the people of Bengal, not infiltrators or fake voters, have the right to the state's resources.
"The Election Commission is a constitutional body. Conducting the SIR process is their right. What do these people want? Do they want to win by using the fake votes of Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, infiltrators, the deceased, and those with double entries? This cannot happen. The people of Bengal have the right to the resources of Bengal, not the infiltrators and Bangladeshis," he said.
Saraogi further criticised West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, alleging a "communal and arrogant mindset".
"To stay in the newspaper headlines, the kind of communal and arrogant mindset Mamata Banerjee has... the people are watching this... In the coming times, the people of Bengal will wipe out the TMC, and a BJP government will be formed," he added.
Meanwhile, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday criticised the Election Commission over the SIR process, alleging arbitrary deletion of voters' names. Speaking at the conclusion of the party's protest, Banerjee said several questions posed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar remained unanswered, and highlighted the Supreme Court's hearing on the matter the same day.
"Several questions were posed to Gyanesh Kumar, but he didn't answer all of those. The Supreme Court heard the SIR matter today. Our suspicions that voters' names were unilaterally deleted were raised before the Court," Banerjee said.
He added that the Supreme Court expressed unhappiness over the issue and directed the High Court to provide facilities for voters seeking to appeal against deletions from the electoral rolls.
The protest was part of the Trinamool Congress's ongoing campaign against the SIR of the voter list, which the party claims has led to the arbitrary deletion of genuine voters from the rolls.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has urged voters to actively participate in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, assuring that the polls will be conducted in a peaceful, pressure-free environment.
During his visit, Kumar also reviewed election preparedness, interacted with new voters, and offered symbolic EPIC cards. However, tensions with the TMC were evident, with party workers staging a black-flag protest outside Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in Kolkata, where Kumar offered prayers.
West Bengal is set to hold elections for its 294-member Legislative Assembly later this year.
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