West Bengal: Row erupts over SIR in several regions, Mamata Banerjee to hit streets in Kolkata on November 4
The SIR voter list revision has triggered strong political resistance in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a protest march against the EC action, while BLOs have raised concerns over duty hours and security during training sessions.
The political atmosphere in West Bengal has heated up over the Election Commission's decision to conduct Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. Notably, the ruling Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have openly opposed the SIR exercise. CM Mamata has also announced that she will lead a massive protest march in Kolkata on Tuesday (November 4) to mark her objection.
What is the SIR timeline?
The Election Commission recently announced that the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision will be conducted in 12 states and Union territories, including West Bengal, which are heading for elections next year. The SIR exercise will run from November 4 to December 4. The draft voter list will be published on December 9 and the final list will be released on February 7.
BLOs raise protest during training
On Saturday, a fresh controversy emerged after disruptions were reported during BLO training sessions in Kolkata and several districts. According to information, government staff raised objections regarding official duty status, working hours and security cover. Many teachers assigned as BLOs alleged that their schools marked them "absent" during the training hours. They demanded that they should be marked "on duty" for those days. Teachers also sought central security cover during training sessions and warned that they will not work without adequate protection. Several women teachers refused to work after evening hours without security cover. A large number of BLOs also raised issues with being forced to work beyond duty timings. However, Election Commission sources said the demand for central security cannot be accepted as law and order is a state subject.
Political blame game intensifies
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul accused CM Mamata Banerjee of threatening BLOs to sabotage the SIR exercise. She said, "All BLOs across districts are undergoing training. We hope they will work without fear. If Mamata Banerjee thinks she will stall the SIR process by threatening them then she is wrong." Meanwhile, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the state government was unaware that teachers were being used as BLOs. He said the SIR exercise forces teachers to work beyond regular hours and this had created problems for them. He added that the education department had no prior knowledge about this BLO deployment.