Kolkata, 06 March (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday staged a sit-in protest at Metro Channel in Dharmatala, Kolkata, once again targeting the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. During the protest, she launched a sharp attack on both the poll body and the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging serious irregularities in the electoral roll.

Addressing the gathering from the protest stage, Banerjee claimed that several living individuals had been wrongly declared dead in the voter list. She said that 22 such people would be brought onto the stage to demonstrate that they were alive.

“Those who have been declared dead in the voter list will sit here and prove that they are very much alive. This is shameful,” the Chief Minister said.

Banerjee alleged that the Election Commission was functioning under the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to her, a large number of discrepancies have surfaced in the voter list, raising concerns about the integrity of the democratic process.

She further stated that the Special Intensive Revision exercise had caused significant hardships for several families. Some of those affected were also present at the protest site, she added.

Leaders, workers and supporters of the Trinamool Congress from different districts gathered at the venue. Several voters also came to the stage claiming that they had been wrongly declared dead or otherwise disqualified in the electoral roll.

During the protest, a representative of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in Minakhan also addressed the gathering and claimed that despite serving as the president of the institution for the past 14 years, his name had been removed from the voter list.

The Trinamool Congress described the protest as a fight to protect the rights of voters. Banerjee also said that a meeting would be held in the evening to discuss the next course of action on the issue.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh