Bengal SIR: TMC tells cadres to keep 'constant watch' on BLOs

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday directed its workers to remain on high alert and keep a “constant watch” on booth-level officers (BLOs) during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, with party national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee insisting that not a single BLO should be left “unattended for even a minute”.

Speaking at a closed-door virtual meeting attended by nearly 18,000 party functionaries from across the state, Banerjee alleged the BJP was exploiting the SIR process to “silently rig” forthcoming elections. He characterised the coming six months as the party’s “acid test”, claiming the voter-list revision — announced on 27 October — had been initiated at the BJP’s behest to manipulate electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

“The BJP’s goal is not to identify infiltrators. If that were true, they would have done the same exercise in Assam, Meghalaya or Tripura. This is a political operation aimed at deleting genuine voters,” Banerjee was quoted as saying.

“That’s why I am directing you all to maintain constant vigilance. BLOs should not be left unattended for even a minute,” he added, and ordered that Booth Level Agents (BLA-1s) appoint BLA-2s in each district to accompany BLOs during door-to-door verification to ensure transparency.

“BLA-2 will act as a shadow companion to the BLO. It must be ensured that no name is unfairly deleted, and all forms are submitted by 3 November,” he said, calling this phase an “acid test” for the party’s grassroots organisation.

Banerjee warned of large-scale protests if eligible voters were removed. “If even one eligible voter’s name is removed, one lakh people from Bengal will hold a dharna outside the Election Commission office in New Delhi,” he said, reiterating earlier threats of legal and political action to expose what he termed “silent invisible rigging” (SIR).

“As you all know, on the BJP’s instructions, the Election Commission announced the SIR on 27 October in Bengal. After Bihar’s SIR, we said it stands for 'silent invisible rigging'. The Trinamool Congress will fight it in court, in Parliament and on the streets,” Banerjee asserted.

State president Subrata Bakshi also addressed the meeting, convened to finalise the party’s strategy for the voter-list revision and coordinate operations across districts, blocks and booths. Party insiders said the session was kept behind closed doors to permit frank discussion.

Banerjee announced that from 4 November, the TMC would run 6,200 voter-assistance camps across 2,861 municipal wards and 3,345 gram panchayats to help residents verify names, submit claims and objections, and report irregularities. “Each camp will have laptops, printers and wi-fi, operating from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm for a month. The message must be clear in people’s hour of need, only the Trinamool Congress stood by them,” he said.

The outreach will continue in phases until 31 January, with MPs and MLAs ordered to set up 'war rooms' in each of the state's 294 Assembly segments. Each war room, Banerjee said, would comprise 15 members — 10 coordinating with BLA-2s and five handling data entry. “Any issue must be immediately escalated to the MLA or MP. If there’s a serious problem, it should be reported directly to me via WhatsApp,” he added.

Banerjee claimed discrepancies had already surfaced in several districts, notably North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Cooch Behar. “We are matching online and hard copies of voter lists and will place the evidence before the court,” he said, alleging that “thousands of genuine voters’ names” were missing in some areas.

Accusing the BJP of seeking to divide Bengal and disenfranchise minorities, Matuas and poor voters, he urged party workers to send a clear message that the TMC “stands firmly with the people”, and said he would soon start district visits to oversee the campaign personally.

Citing deaths he linked to panic over possible exclusions from the rolls, Banerjee said: “One tragic incident after another is coming to light. In Panihati, a person died by suicide out of fear and anxiety, leaving behind a note. Similar incidents occurred in Dinhata and Ilambazar.” He added, “Today, a 28-year-old woman named Kakoli Sarkar died by suicide in Titagarh. Such fear has no place in a democracy.”

Reiterating the party’s commitment to both legal remedies and street mobilisation, Banerjee said, “If genuine voters’ names are deleted, we will not remain silent. We will draw the court’s attention and also launch a major movement in Delhi to ensure justice,” and stressed: “This is not just a political issue but a democratic one. We will fight this both on the ground and in court,” a senior TMC functionary told PTI.

He said the party’s booth and territorial electoral review systems (BERS and TERS) had already been activated to guard against manipulation. “Knowing what the BJP is capable of, we had already set up BERS and TERS. Now it’s time to put them into full action,” he said.

With PTI inputs