ECI's decision to extend SIR schedules by one week is a move to satisfy BJP: TMC
KOLKATA: The Election Commission of Indias decision to extend the schedules of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states, including West Bengal, has prompted ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition CPI-M and Congress to come together to criticise the Commission for its move. Coming down heavily on the Commission, the Bengal leadership of Trinamool Congress, CPI-M and Congress said that it should have considered the situation earlier because the SIR exercise was not at all possible within such a short timeline. But the BJPs Bengal unit has welcomed the national poll panels decision to extend the SIR timeline by one week. The ruling party in the state alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was instrumental in the decision. The Election Commission of India (ECI) extended the SIR schedules so that BJP can get some political advantages ahead of the assembly polls next year. The party has fixed a target number of voters from the electoral rolls during the ongoing exercise in the state. With the extension of schedules, the commission proved again that it works for BJP. But people of Bengal will again vote Trinamool Congress to power, Arup Chakraborty, spokesperson of the ruling party in the state, said. The saffron camp in the state has been claiming that more than one crore dead and bogus, including Bangladeshi infiltrators, will be deleted from the voters list following the SIR process. The Election Commission has no idea about the ground reality in Bengal because its run by bureaucracy. Todays notification issued by the national poll body once again proved that it has neither any planning nor the eligibility to conduct such a drive in the state, said Md Salim, CPI-M secretary, West Bengal. The Commission should have understood the situation in Bengal much earlier because the SIR exercise is not possible in such a short period of only three months in the state, which is vulnerable in terms of demography and population. The poll body is a paper tiger only, said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader and the partys former MP for five times from Behrampore in Murshidabad district. Welcoming the decision the Sukanta Majumder, union minister of state for education and a BJP MP from Balurghat, said, We have nothing to say against the move because its the prerogative of the Commission. It has extended the deadline considering the situation. It can also extend the timeline again after the Mamata Banerjee governments term ends next year. In that case, SIR will go on under the President Rule. With several deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) due to work pressure and stress triggered by the SIR-related rigorous jobs, a section of BLOs backed by Trinamool Congress staged protests in front of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officers chamber, demanding extension of the SIR timeline and compensation to the family members of their deceased colleagues. Today, the ECI has extended the schedule of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls for 12 States and Union Territories by one week. Under the revised plan, the enumeration drive and polling-station rationalisationearlier expected to wrap up by 4 December will now continue until 11 December. The preparation of the control table and the draft roll will run from 12 to 15 December, with the draft roll to be published on 16 December. The old schedule had placed draft publication around 9th December across states. The period for filing claims and objections has also been aligned with the new dates. Instead of closing on 8th January, as originally planned, the window will now remain open until 15 January.
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