In a pointed attack on West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress, senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh warned on Tuesday that the party is sabotaging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Addressing media in Kolkata, Ghosh sought to calm public anxieties while demanding a transparent overhaul of the electoral rolls.
The controversy centers on the acceptance of secondary admit cards for age verification—a document validated, revoked, and now restored per Supreme Court directive. ‘These U-turns are bewildering voters, forcing endless document resubmissions,’ Ghosh explained.
Drawing from ground reports, he cited a booth issuing notices to 350 individuals, exceeding BJP’s own vote tally there by a margin. ‘No need to panic; precedents exist. But such discrepancies breed doubt,’ he stated.
Ghosh directly countered TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, asserting BJP’s commitment to a foolproof voter list featuring only legitimate citizens. ‘Remove the undocumented, but spare the common man any hassle,’ he demanded, while accusing TMC of deliberate interference.
Violence mars the process too, with assaults on BLOs, BJP activists, and complainants. ‘This anarchy questions the very feasibility of democratic elections,’ Ghosh lamented.
He praised the Election Commission’s proactive role in upholding electoral integrity. With voter verification intensifying, Ghosh’s remarks underscore deepening political divides in the state, setting the stage for heated confrontations.