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TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee will hold a virtual conference with district presidents and representatives from the party’s frontal organisations on 15 March to outline the TMC’s stance on the issue.
Abhishek Banerjee is expected to chart the roadmap for the TMC’s election strategy. (PTI Photo)
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is standing firm on its allegations of electoral roll rigging in West Bengal ahead of next year’s assembly elections. Party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee will hold a virtual conference (VC) with district presidents and representatives from the party’s frontal organisations on 15 March to outline the TMC’s stance on the issue, as raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Abhishek is expected to chart the roadmap for the TMC’s election strategy.
Mamata Banerjee has formed a core committee to scrutinise the electoral roll in Bengal. This committee, along with district presidents, has already held meetings to devise a strategy for the review process. The Chief Minister has instructed the core committee to submit a detailed report within ten days.
The TMC has made it clear that it will engage with the Election Commission multiple times over this issue. Despite the Election Commission’s statement dismissing the allegations as baseless, the TMC remains firm in its stance.
On Thursday, a TMC delegation visited the Election Commission, demanding the introduction of a unique identity number for voters and urging the EC to take action on the issue.
The party has initiated a door-to-door review of the electoral roll, with leaders like Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim personally scrutinising the lists. Party leaders across districts have been directed to remain on high alert and actively monitor discrepancies.
While the TMC is aggressively pursuing its claims, the BJP has countered the allegations, stating that the voter roll issue lacks substance. Instead, the BJP has accused the TMC of allowing infiltrators to become voters.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar also reacted sharply, questioning the TMC’s claims. Speaking in Hindi, he said, “Who prepares the voter list? The Chief Electoral Officer. Where does he sit? In Kolkata. CM Mamata Banerjee sends three names, of which the EC has to choose one. It cannot choose anyone beyond the three names provided. So why are they blaming others? This is all just drama.”
TMC’s top brass has issued specific guidelines to district leaders to ensure thorough scrutiny, including:
- Monitoring online additions: Special vigilance will be maintained on names added via online methods.
- Tracking duplicate EPIC numbers: A special list will be created for instances where the same number appears on multiple EPIC cards.
- Identifying non-resident voters: A separate list will be compiled of individuals who are not Bengal voters but have somehow been included in the roll.
- Investigating wrongful deletions: Extra attention will be given to names that have been removed without justification.
To oversee the electoral roll review at the district level, Abhishek Banerjee and TMC state president Subrata Bakshi have directed the formation of core committees in each district. These district-level committees must submit their lists to the party high command by 14 March.
The virtual meeting on 15 March will likely focus on implementing these strategies, signalling the TMC’s intent to make this a central issue in next year’s elections.
