Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 28 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee reiterated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a way to exclude voters from the voting list and deprive them of their voting rights. He said that if the voting rights of genuine voters are snatched in West Bengal then one lakh people will gherao the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Abhishek Banerjee said, 'Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal in the middle of Chhath festivities. The SIR is not actually revision, but it is a way to exclude voters from the list and deprive them of their voting rights. Earlier, people used to vote to decide the government but now the government is deciding who should vote. When SIR was done in 2002, it took two years. And now in two months they will do it.'

He further said that elections are to be held in 5 places in the next year, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry but they have excluded SIR in Assam.

'In Assam, the BJP is in power. So wherever the BJP is in power, SIR will not take place. SIR will happen in Bengal. Then why are they talking about One Nation, One Poll? In whose instructions is EC working? Five Indian states share a border with Bangladesh. West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. SIR is taking place only in Bengal. Why not SIR implement in the other four states which share a border with Bangladesh,' he added.

He further said that Myanmar does not share border with West Bengal.

'If Rohingya enter, they can only enter through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. But SIR is not happening in these four states. Then what is the motive of EC? Their aim is to insult Bengal and to call Bengalis as Bangladesis, to insult the language and to snatch the rights of voters since they lost miserably in 2021. We will not allow this to happen. If even one genuine voter's rights are snatched, 1 lakh people from Bengal will gherao the office of EC in New Delhi,' he added.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 202, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026.

'The second phase of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is about to be carried out in 12 States and UTs,' the CEC said. (ANI)