TMC delegation demands names of the deleted voters be made public

A five-member delegation of the Trinamul Congress visited the CEO’s office in Bengal and met with CEO Manoj Agarwal.

The delegation said that whatever happens for the people, for the benefit of democracy, is the job of the Election Commission. But, they can clearly see that this principle is not being followed in Bengal. In other double-engine states, we see that they are being favoured.

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“We have submitted a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer today to raise several issues. The first concerns ASDD — absent, shifted, dead and duplicate. Around 58 lakh names have been removed through Form 7. This is reflected on the ERO Net. Form 7 should only be issued by the office of the ERO, but that authority is being curtailed by the Centre.

We have raised this earlier as well. The political party has set a target of removing two crore names, and people are being struck off indiscriminately. We have raised our voice against this. They are violating the law and the Constitution. The role of the ERO is being snatched away, and we cannot allow this, said the delegation members at a Press conference after the meeting.

Through a simple notification, the delegation pointed out that the ECI is stating that the DEO office will verify matters whenever questions are raised. The DEO is the first appellate authority under the statute and the Representation of the People Act, along with the Electors Rules of 1960. If that very authority is asked to verify itself, then the power of the ERO is effectively diminished.

“You gave us seven days’ time. Hearings were supposed to begin on the 17th and were then deferred to the 23rd because on both occasions you were not ready. Now, finally, hearings have started today. But how will those who have to travel from outside the state, make arrangements, or manage school or work commitments complete this process in just five days? The real aim appears to be the removal of voters. The true aim of democracy is inclusion, but in the name of intensive verification, the ethos of inclusivity is being destroyed,” they said.

They pointed out about a private agency conducting a KAP survey — knowledge, attitude and practice. What does this mean? Why should voters be subjected to this kind of scrutiny, they asked.

If we have no complainants, we are supposed to take the matter up with the CEC. We have raised our issues point by point and demanded answers. The CEC has said that he will forward our letter to the ECI along with our demands. We hope to receive point-wise answers, and we also hope the CEC will be more aware and attempt to resolve these issues, said the TMC delegation members.

They demanded that the list of the 55 lakh names removed should be made public and easily accessible. Why is it being hidden? Hearings have begun, yet multiple living persons, even councillors, have been declared dead, they asked.

Manas Bhunia, part of the delegation, said: “I have overseen elections, have conducted 41 elections, and I am perplexed. What is going on? They are evading the Constitution. From the very first day, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have said that the BJP has maliciously set a target for eliminations in Bengal. The Election Commission is acting as the BJP’s B-team, and valid citizens are being harassed.”