ECI hears parties as Bengal poll battle sharpens

Political tensions over West Bengal’s controversial voter list revision spilled into the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) pre-election consultations on Monday, with rival parties trading accusations before the poll panel even as uncertainty persists over when and how the upcoming Assembly elections will be conducted.

Delegations from the TMC, BJP, CPI(M), Congress and other parties met the ECI’s full bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a hotel in New Town on the eastern fringes of Kolkata to air their concerns ahead of the polls.

Despite the Assembly’s term expiring on 7 May, the ECI is yet to announce the election schedule or indicate how many phases the polling will be conducted in — an issue that figured prominently during the discussions.

The consultations took place amid an intensifying political confrontation over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has triggered allegations of voter exclusion from the ruling TMC and counter-claims from the BJP about infiltration and electoral integrity.

According to official data released on 28 February, around 63.66 lakh names — about 8.3 per cent of the electorate — have been deleted since the revision began in November last year, reducing the voter base from roughly 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.

In addition, more than 60 lakh electors have been placed in the 'under adjudication' category, meaning their eligibility will be decided through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks — a development that could potentially reshape electoral equations across several constituencies.

The BJP delegation was the first to meet the ECI during Monday’s consultations and pressed for elections to be conducted in fewer phases. “We demanded a one, two or three-phase election, but not more,” BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay said after the meeting.

The party also called for 100 percent webcasting in polling booths and submitted a 16-point charter of demands to the commission.

Chattopadhyay alleged that during previous elections, the state police had influenced the deployment of Central forces. “We have seen how Central forces were bullied during the previous elections,” he said, adding that route marches were often conducted in relatively peaceful areas instead of sensitive locations.

“If a violence-free and fearless environment is to be created, the Commission must take action against state police and government officials who prevent voters from casting their own ballots,” a BJP leader said.

The CPI(M), which met the poll panel next, also demanded that the elections be conducted in one or two phases and urged the ECI to ensure neutrality. CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim said the party had raised concerns about electoral violence and the handling of complaints during previous polls.

“Tamanna died during a by-election but there was no FIR by any EC officer. They must make sure that the elections are safe and secure,” Salim said, referring to the incident in June 2025 when a 12-year-old died of injuries sustained from a bomb hurled during a TMC celebratory procession after a by-election victory in Kaliganj in the state's Nadia district.

He also demanded that voters currently placed under adjudication during the SIR process be allowed an opportunity to restore their names in the electoral rolls. “We want the names of all the 60 lakh adjudicated people to be included in the final voter list and those whose legal names were struck off should be given a chance,” Salim said. “More importantly, the BJP is using constitutional bodies in wrong ways and hence the ECI should be unbiased.”

The Congress delegation also raised concerns about the security of voters and the integrity of the polling process. Senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said the party had asked the Commission whether it would be able to ensure protection for voters during the elections.

“We asked Gyanesh Kumar if the ECI will be able to give protection during the elections,” Bhattacharya said. “More than the phases, the security of the people and the sanctity of the elections should be the first priority. So we left it to the ECI to decide, but we will be happy if the elections are done in one or two phases.”

The TMC delegation, which met the Commission later in the day, alleged that the poll panel did not adequately hear its concerns during the interaction. Senior party leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the Commission repeatedly cited the Supreme Court proceedings when the party attempted to raise issues related to the SIR exercise.

“Whenever we spoke about SIR, they said the matter is in the Supreme Court. If that is the case, why did they call us for the meeting? When they have invited us, they must listen to what we have to say,” she said.

Bhattacharya also alleged that she was asked not to raise her voice during the discussion. “I am a woman and I was told ‘don’t shout’. Why should I not raise my voice when we are speaking about people’s rights?” she told reporters.

She further claimed that the party had pointed out several irregularities in the revision process. “We asked why there are logical discrepancies in Bengal. We specifically asked why there are illegal log-ins and why instructions are being given to ECI officers through WhatsApp groups,” Bhattacharya said. “It is surprising that even ministers are kept under adjudication and genuine voters have been struck off during the SIR.”

Kolkata mayor and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim accused the BJP of creating a narrative around infiltration to justify the revision exercise. “The BJP has created a perception that there are Rohingyas and infiltrators but you have failed to find even one Rohingya,” Hakim said. “People of Bengal have died and poor people stood in line sacrificing their daily jobs only due to BJP. We requested that no Indian citizen should be deleted or refrained from voting.”

Addressing the delegations, Kumar reportedly assured political parties that the Commission would ensure free and fair elections. “The Election Commission has zero tolerance towards violence. We will not leave any stone unturned in ensuring impartial, transparent and peaceful elections,” Kumar told the delegations, according to officials.

He also reiterated that the SIR exercise had been conducted in a transparent and unbiased manner and said statutory provisions allow electors to file claims and objections regarding inclusion, deletion or correction of entries in the rolls.

Despite the continuing uncertainty over the poll schedule, leader of opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had earlier suggested that the elections could take place soon after Poila Baisakh, the Bengali New Year that falls in mid-April.

“There are only six weeks in hand for the TMC government. Elections will be held any day after Poila Baisakh and we will get the timetable in a few days. It is just a matter of time for the government to change,” Adhikari had said.

Reacting to the remark on Monday, TMC leader Joyprakash Majumder said it reinforced the ruling party’s allegation that the ECI was acting in tandem with the BJP. “It seems that he is working as the spokesperson of the EC. We have seen earlier that what he says in the morning, the Election Commission declares in the afternoon,” Majumder told this correspondent. “The EC has lost all its credibility and fairness and it is very worrying. It once again proves that the EC is nothing but a BJP tool.”

With PTI inputs