TMC Voices Doubt Over Efficacy of SIR in West Bengal, Vows to Oppose It

PTI |  August 17, 2025 | Kolkata: Trinamool Congress on Sunday expressed doubt about the "efficacy" of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls of West Bengal by the Election Commission and vowed to oppose any move by EC to delete names of genuine voters.

At a press meet in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal and other states will be announced in due course. He said the SIR exercise was aimed at removing all shortcomings in the voter list, and it is a matter of grave concern that some parties are spreading misinformation about it, "firing from the Election Commission's shoulder."

Coming down heavily on EC, TMC spokesperson Joyprakash Majumdar told reporters, "We also want not a single name of dead voters is retained in electoral rolls. Then how come the 2024 general elections were held based on the same voter list? The EC must clarify if the 2024 elections were then carried by flawed voters list as iterated by our leader Abhishek Banerjee?"

He said the party has serious "doubts about the efficacy of SIR in West Bengal and the intention of EC."

TMC MP Mahua Moitra said in a post on X, "Hon'ble CEC Sir please don't assume our average IQ is same as that of BJP cadre. Your claims during @ECISVEEEP PC today were ludicrous and laughable."

Supporting the Election Commission, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said the EC managed to detect huge number of bogus voters in Bihar and asked why TMC is opposed to SIR if the exercise will happen in West Bengal. "Are they (TMC) scared?"

"Only by implementing SIR, the names of 22 lakh Rohingya/Bangladeshi infiltrators will be removed from the list and free and fair polls will be possible under EC's supervision," the senior BJP leader said.