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Kolkata, Oct 28 (IANS) Trinamool Congress and CPI-M questioned the authority of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to determine the citizenship status of individuals during an all-party meeting chaired by West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal in Kolkata on Tuesday. The meeting was called to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
According to officials present at the meeting, representatives from both sides argued that the ECI’s constitutional role was limited to preparing error-free electoral rolls and not to deciding who qualifies as an Indian citizen.
“Representatives of both the Trinamool Congress and the CPI-M said that determining citizenship status does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Election Commission,” said an insider in the CEO office aware of the proceedings.
CPI-M representatives reportedly argued that it was not the job of the commission to interpret constitutional provisions related to citizenship, insisting that such matters fell under the purview of the Union Home Ministry and the judiciary.
The Trinamool Congress delegation went a step further and accused the Election Commission of “crossing its constitutional limits” by allegedly attempting to identify a section of voters as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
They also questioned the authenticity and source of data used to label voters as suspected infiltrators, warning that such actions could lead to public unrest and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
A Trinamool representative reportedly said, “The job of the commission is to verify voter eligibility, not to decide citizenship. Branding voters without due process is unconstitutional.”
Sources said CEO Manoj Kumar Aggarwal patiently addressed the queries raised by political parties and explained that the objective of the SIR was solely to ensure accuracy and transparency in the state’s voter list.
The CEO is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with all District Electoral Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Booth-level Officers (BLOs) on Wednesday morning to provide final instructions before the start of the statewide voter verification drive on November 4.
SIR will be conducted in three phases. In the first phase, BLOs will visit every house to collect voters’ details and draft the voter list. In the second phase, political parties and individuals will be allowed to submit objections or corrections. In the third and final phase, the EROs will resolve all the complaints, after which the final voter list will be published.
The entire exercise is expected to be finished by March 2026, ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam as well as a Union Territory next year.
The last special in-depth review in West Bengal was conducted in 2002.
–IANS
Source/PGH