Suvendu demands ‘thorough revision’ of voter list in Bengal

West Bengal goes to the polls next year, while the Assembly election is due in Bihar later this year.

Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday demanded a “thorough revision” of the State’s voter list on the lines of the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar.

“The Election Commission is making full-fledged preparations here. They cannot say anything directly because there hasn’t been a notification yet. Booth-level officers are being appointed and trained in Delhi,” Mr. Adhikari told mediapersons outside the office of the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

The BJP leader, along with about 50 MLAs of the party, marched to the office of the State CEO, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, and urged him to conduct door-to-door surveys. He said the final notification to begin SIR in the State is pending and that “there is time in West Bengal while in Bihar, the elections are knocking on the door”.

West Bengal goes to the polls next year, while the Assembly election is due in Bihar later this year.

“If Bihar has around 30 lakh fake voters, West Bengal will have 90 lakh. If Rohingya Muslims and illegal immigrants are being dropped from the list in Bihar, we will not let them stay on the voter list of West Bengal; no matter how many rallies [the CM] takes out,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari also accused the Trinamool Congress government of causing “gross changes” in the State’s population. He said the average increase in the number of voters in the nine districts in West Bengal bordering Bangladesh is between 20% to 30%.