Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya demands fresh SIR, alleges violence during previous exercise

KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Saturday demanded a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

The reason: The Bengal BJP chief felt that the previous SIR exercise, which was kickstarted in November 2025 in the state, could not be conducted without violence and disruption.

While speaking to the news agency PTI, Bhattacharya made this demand for a fresh SIR process in Bengal.

The Rajya Sabha MP accused the erstwhile Trinamool Congress government, led by then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, of allowing the process to be obstructed, claiming that documents were snatched and burnt, election officials involved in the SIR process were assaulted, and offices were torched during the previous revision, which deleted more than 60 lakh absent, shifted, dead and duplicate (ASDD) voters from the draft electoral rolls in the state.

He also alleged that Block Development Officers (BDOs), anganwadi workers and the BJP's Booth Level Agents (BLAs) were attacked during the exercise.

During the SIR exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Trinamool Congress was in power in Bengal. The BJP formed its maiden government in the state by winning 208 out of 294 Assembly constituencies in the elections held in April.

"Instead of being accused of 'vote chori', Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should be considered for an award for conducting the electoral process (transparently). West Bengal needs another SIR because the previous exercise was not conducted smoothly, with documents burnt, officials attacked and offices set on fire," he alleged, according to the news agency.

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Referring to the ongoing protests organised by the CJP over the issue, Bhattacharya said people had the right to agitate in a democracy but questioned the political forces behind the movement.

He claimed that the agitation was being driven by politically irrelevant forces rejected by voters and lacked public support.

While reacting to the state BJP president's call for a fresh SIR process, Kunal Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress MLA belonging to the Mamata Banerjee camp, told the media, "Samik Bhattacharya is making contradictory statements because his party leaders, with the help of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, have deleted voters in lakhs from the electoral rolls. The deleted voters are still awaiting the tribunals' clearance. How does Gyanesh Kumar still hold the post if the previous SIR process was faulty?"

With directives from the ECI, the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) started a 'proactive' campaign across the state to ensure that 'no eligible elector is left out of the electoral rolls.'

In a press statement issued by the CEO's office earlier on 12 October, it said, "As per instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), 24 DEOs in the state of West Bengal have started a proactive campaign to ensure that no eligible elector is left out of the electoral rolls."

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The CEO's office was prompted to take the initiative at a time when protests organised by opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc, CJP activists and Left-leaning student organisations have been rocking the national capital since last week, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The CEO has set up special camps across Bengal to ensure that the initiative results in the inclusion of every eligible voter in the electoral rolls.

"If any person has any complaints, please feel free to contact the concerned BLO, AERO, ERO or DEO," the press statement said, adding, "We are committed to ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded from the voter list."

In Bengal, the opposition CPI(M), Congress and the Trinamool Congress belonging to the Mamata Banerjee camp have been demanding the immediate restoration of approximately 38 lakh voters whose cases remain pending before tribunals formed following the directive of the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Bhattacharya also claimed that the BJP was not responsible for the incidents of attacks on CPI(M) book stalls near Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata and its outskirts.

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"This is not our path. This land has a tradition of pluralism," he said, quoting Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's saying, "Jato mat, tato path" (as many opinions, so many paths).

Bhattacharya claimed that the situation surrounding Durga Puja had changed under the new government.

He alleged that, previously, even the timing of idol immersion in some places was subject to police and administrative permission.

Praising this year's Puja pandals, he said several highlighted social issues, citing an installation in Bagbazar that drew attention to the declining condition of commercial theatre.