TMC accuses Election Commission of bias, links SIR to multiple deaths

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of acting to appease a particular political party and linked the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to recent multiple deaths, including those of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and ordinary citizens.

The party also claimed that 34 people in the state have died during the ongoing SIR exercise and demanded that the ECI take responsibility for these deaths.

Senior TMC leaders Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Partha Bhowmick visited the CEO's office on Saturday and submitted a memorandum outlining these concerns.

"Work that normally takes two years is being compressed into two months. The Commission is being accused of trying to favour a political party. The names of 150 to 200 voters are being deliberately omitted at each booth. The Commission's website is full of errors. These lapses are costing lives," senior West Bengal minister Arup Biswas told reporters.

The TMC leaders also alleged that BLOs have not been adequately trained for the SIR and that the ECI is attempting to complete work intended for two years within just two months.

Bhattacharya asserted that BLOs are being subjected to undue pressure without proper training, putting their lives at risk.

Incidentally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to halt the ongoing SIR in the state.

In her letter to the CEO, she asserted that the continuous "unplanned and coercive drive" would endanger more lives and jeopardise the legitimacy of the exercise.