Bengal Targeted in Voter List Revision: TMC MP Sagarika Ghose

Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it an "exclusionary exercise" designed to disenfranchise poor voters. The Rajya Sabha member alleged the drive - conducted ahead of Bihar's assembly polls - is actually targeting West Bengal, which faces elections early next year.

"The real agenda is Bengal, where BJP lost twice in 2021 and 2024. This is their backdoor attempt to strip voting rights from lakhs," Ghose told NDTV. She condemned the EC for allegedly "forcing citizenship tests" despite having no constitutional mandate to determine nationality. The MP particularly criticized the rejection of Aadhaar as standalone proof, asking: "Why push Aadhaar linkage for years if it's now deemed insufficient?"

The controversy deepened as the EC, in a Supreme Court affidavit, clarified that while Aadhaar establishes identity, it doesn't confirm citizenship or residency - crucial voter eligibility criteria under Article 326. The poll body defended the Bihar revision, revealing 52 lakh duplicate/deceased/migrated voters were removed through what CEC Rajiv Kumar called a "transparent process foundational to fair elections."

With West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee vowing to block any similar exercise in her state and the Supreme Court questioning the timing ahead of elections, the political storm exposes growing tensions between opposition parties and the election authority over voter enrollment protocols. The EC maintains its actions ensure electoral integrity, while critics see a systematic purge of marginalized voters. As the draft rolls prepare for August 1 publication, the debate spotlights India's delicate balance between electoral purity and inclusive democracy.