Sun Nov 02 17:10:39 UTC 2025: News Article:

West Bengal BJP Alleges Electoral Roll Irregularities Ahead of Intensive Revision

Kolkata, November 2, 2025 – The political climate in West Bengal is heating up ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of influencing the process. The BJP’s West Bengal unit has formally alleged that numerous Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed for the SIR have direct affiliations with the TMC.

In a letter to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal, BJP leader Sishir Bajoria claimed that these alleged partisan appointments undermine the fairness of the electoral revision process, especially with elections looming. The BJP provided a list of 13 BLOs, including those from Nandigram and Nandakumar, along with purported social media evidence linking them to the TMC.

The TMC has responded by acknowledging that some BLOs may support the party, but emphasized that their duty is to act impartially. They pointed out that there are over 80,000 BLOs in the state.

Meanwhile, the TMC has accused the BJP of attempting to disenfranchise Bengali citizens, particularly the Matua community, a sect of Hindu Namashudras who migrated from Bangladesh. The party asserted that citizenship and voting rights are constitutional rights, not privileges granted by the BJP.

The SIR process, involving door-to-door enumeration, is set to commence on November 4th and continue for a month. On the same day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC leaders plan to protest the SIR exercise in Kolkata.

Adding fuel to the fire, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP) compared the SIR to “pouring carbolic acid inside a snake hole,” suggesting it is a necessary measure to cleanse the electoral system. The exchanges highlight rising tensions between the two major parties as West Bengal braces for elections.

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