Kolkata: The political war over the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls escalated on Friday, February 20, with the ruling TMC hailing the Supreme Court’s decision to deploy judicial officers in the exercise as a “huge victory for the people”, while the BJP accused the state government of creating confusion at the ground level.
The Supreme Court, flagging a “trust deficit” between the Election Commission and the “democratically elected” TMC government, issued what it termed an “extraordinary” direction to deploy serving and former district judges to assist the poll panel in the controversy-ridden SIR process in the state.
Reacting to the order, the TMC claimed it vindicated its allegations of irregularities in the revision drive.
“HUGE VICTORY FOR THE PEOPLE OF BENGAL! Today marks a historic demolition of the Election Commission’s bloated arrogance,” the party said in a social media post.
The TMC alleged that the roll observers had been “stonewalling and parking legitimate claims” and attempting to erase genuine voters. It said the apex court had delivered a “knockout punch” by directing that all claims, objections and discrepancy cases be handled by impartial judicial officers appointed by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.
“This is a blow to an Election Commission that ditched its sacred constitutional duty,” the post said, accusing the poll body of acting in a partisan manner.
On the other hand, Union minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar blamed the Mamata Banerjee government for the impasse.
Majumdar said the TMC government had been “creating confusion at the ground level” and opposing the SIR exercise.
“It is the state administration which has been obstructing the process and misleading people. The Election Commission is only trying to ensure a free and fair revision of the rolls. But the state has been non-cooperative with the poll body from the beginning,” he said.
The BJP has consistently backed the SIR exercise, maintaining that the revision is necessary to weed out bogus voters, while the TMC has alleged that the drive was being used to target genuine electors.
Dismayed over the ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission, the Supreme Court on Friday issued an “extraordinary” direction to deploy serving and former district judges to assist the poll panel in the controversy-ridden special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state.
Ruing the “unfortunate blame game” and the “trust deficit” between the EC and the “democratically elected” TMC government, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi passed a slew of fresh directions to ensure completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) process.
The bench ordered the deputation of judicial officers for adjudication of claims and objections of the persons who are put under the logical discrepancy lists and facing removal of their names from the electoral rolls.
Logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent’s name and the age difference between a voter and their parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years.
The top court asked Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul to spare some judicial officers and find former judges to assist in the SIR work.
The SIR exercise has triggered intense political sparring in West Bengal, with both the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP accusing each other of attempting to manipulate the voter rolls ahead of the next assembly elections.
