Abhishek Banerjee Flags “Living Voters Declared Dead” in Bengal SIR Exercise

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday presented ten individuals at a public rally in Cooch Behar, claiming they had been erroneously declared dead in the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The Diamond Harbour MP alleged that the Election Commission, acting as a tool of the BJP-led central government, was systematically stripping citizens of their voting rights. He described the SIR process as an attempt to disenfranchise legitimate voters rather than update electoral records accurately.

Banerjee stated that these ten people, all born and raised in Cooch Behar district, had their names struck off the voter list despite being alive. He referenced a previous instance earlier this month when he brought forward three similar cases at a rally in South 24 Parganas. The Trinamool leader claimed that approximately 3.5 lakh individuals in Cooch Behar alone had received notices from the Election Commission citing logical discrepancies, and he directed party workers to ensure their names are reinstated before the final voter list is published.

The Trinamool MP further alleged that the BJP had failed to fulfill multiple election promises made to Cooch Behar residents since 2014, including the establishment of a Narayani battalion training centre named after Chilarai, declaring Madan Mohan temple an international tourist site, and upgrading Cooch Behar airport to international status. He highlighted the impending cessation of the nine-seater aircraft service between Cooch Behar and Kolkata at the end of the month as evidence of the central government's unkept commitments. Banerjee also claimed that around 78 people in Bengal had died due to anxiety related to the SIR process.

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Banerjee asserted that the upcoming assembly elections represented a direct contest between the people of West Bengal and the BJP. He expressed confidence that Trinamool Congress would secure victory in all nine assembly seats in Cooch Behar and form the state government for a fourth consecutive term under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Recalling the 2024 Lok Sabha results, he thanked voters for defeating former Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik in the Cooch Behar constituency.

The Trinamool leader accused the BJP of insulting Bengal's intelligentsia and cultural legacy while targeting his party through agencies like the Enforcement Directorate. He referenced recent ED raids on the political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director, which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had personally visited. Banerjee also criticized the Border Security Force for alleged atrocities on border farmers and questioned the Assam government's issuance of NRC notices to some Cooch Behar residents, warning the Assam chief minister against confronting the people of Bengal.

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