Bengal SIR: Abhishek urges TMC workers to avoid 'mistakes of Bihar'

Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday asked his party to achieve “100 per cent” submission of electoral enumeration forms distributed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to voters in West Bengal, stressing that it must be treated as the organisation’s top priority ahead of the 2026 Assembly election.

Addressing more than 25,000 party leaders and workers virtually — including MPs, MLAs, district leaders and functionaries — Banerjee said the party must not repeat the mistakes made by Opposition parties in the recently concluded Bihar elections.

“Submission of enumeration forms should be our bird’s-eye focus. Not 99 per cent. We must ensure 100 per cent submission,” he said, according to party sources.

Banerjee instructed that the party’s ‘Vote Suraksha’ camps would continue until 31 January and said TMC war rooms must remain on “high alert”. He urged MLAs to lead organisational efforts and cautioned against “complacency and slackness” following the initial momentum after form distribution by BLOs began on 4 November.

Referring to electoral controversies in Bihar, Banerjee said many voters found their names missing in the final rolls despite being present in the draft list. “Our job is to stop vote theft and catch the thieves,” he told the gathering.

Banerjee again criticised the Election Commission, calling it a “BJP-aiding body”, and claimed that 35 people in West Bengal — including three booth-level officers — had died due to the pressure of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise.

“This is why we termed the SIR exercise as a shameless attempt to deprive people of their rights,” he said.

As part of the party’s next phase of mobilisation — which he referred to as “stage two” — Banerjee said the TMC would begin to assist all individuals lacking required documents post-9 December, after draft rolls are published. “Not a single eligible voter should be left out of the list,” he said.

Banerjee outlined a dual leadership structure for the exercise: a senior-leaders group will be stationed in districts until 4 December to review war rooms, while a team of 10 MPs will seek appointments with the Election Commission in Delhi to lodge formal complaints. He asked the delegation to present video testimonies of families of people who died during SIR implementation and “hold CEC Gyanesh Kumar accountable”.

“Tell him to be prepared for a large-scale mass movement from Bengal. Let him know that Bengal’s pitch is different from Bihar’s. Our workers know how to conduct elections,” Banerjee reportedly told party MPs.

He directed MLAs to communicate with at least 15 BLOs daily — in person or via video calls — over the next 10 days. Banerjee also flagged low progress on form distribution and submission in North and South Kolkata, stating that dedicated reviews would determine administrative course correction.

“There could be differences of opinions among some leaders. But slackness in duties at the time of war will not be forgotten by the people or the party,” Banerjee warned.

With PTI inputs