Representatives of several political parties in West Bengal on Monday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct the upcoming Assembly elections in one or at most two phases, during a meeting with the full bench of the poll body in Kolkata. The meeting attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, along with West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
Leaders from the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) said they had requested the Commission to limit the polling schedule to a maximum of two phases and ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and violence-free manner.
Tapas Roy, a member of the BJP delegation, said the party had placed multiple demands before the Commission. “We put forth an 18-fold memorandum in front of the Chief Election Commissioner. From the very beginning, the BJP has demanded the elimination of all illegal voters, while ensuring that not a single valid voter is removed from the electoral rolls,” Roy said. “We want free, fair and peaceful elections in the state, without intimidation or fear. We have requested the Commission to conduct the elections in a single phase, or at most two phases. The final decision now rests with the Election Commission,” he added.
BJP leader Sisir Bajoria, who led the party’s three-member delegation, said the opposition parties had emphasised the need for violence-free elections in the state. “We have sought one or two-phase polling and demanded free, fair and violence-free elections,” Bajoria said.
The CPI(M) delegation, led by party state secretary Md Salim, also pressed for polling to be completed within one or two phases. The party raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the status of voters placed under adjudication. “We highlighted the many problems voters are facing because of the Special Intensive Revision. Why was there a need for the poll body to create such hardship for ordinary people?” Salim said.
He added that the Left parties had reiterated their demand that elections should not be conducted unless the 60 lakh voters currently under adjudication are included in the electoral rolls. “We demanded that elections be conducted in a single phase, or at most two phases. The Commission told us that elections will be held only after these 60 lakh voters are addressed. They also said that valid voters whose names have been deleted will be allowed to appeal,” Salim said. According to him, the Commission also assured the delegations that it would remain neutral and not act in favour of any political party.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which also attended the meeting, raised objections over the handling of the Special Intensive Revision exercise. State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who was part of the party’s three-member delegation, alleged that the Commission did not adequately hear the party’s concerns. “We have pointed out anomalies in the conduct of the SIR many times. We trusted the Election Commission as a non-partisan body, but it has failed to address these discrepancies,” Bhattacharya said.
She also claimed that the Commission repeatedly cited ongoing proceedings in the Supreme Court when the party attempted to raise the issue during the meeting. “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 said. “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 invite us, they must listen to what we have to say,” Bhattacharya added.
Congress leaders also raised concerns about the status of voters placed under adjudication during the revision process. Former MP Pradip Bhattacharya, who led the Congress delegation, said the party had sought clarity from the Commission regarding the large number of pending cases. “We are concerned about the 60 lakh adjudication cases. We want to know whether their names will be included or how many will ultimately be deleted,” he said. He noted that a significant number of such cases had been reported from districts such as Malda, Murshidabad and North Dinajpur. “Nearly 11 lakh cases are from these districts alone. We have asked the Commission to explain the reasons and provide updates,” he said.
Leaders of several parties also raised the issue of security arrangements and the role of officials during the polling process. According to officials, each party was allotted about 15 minutes to present its views before the Commission. After the interaction with political parties, the Election Commission’s full bench held separate meetings with district election officers, district magistrates, superintendents of police and other officials as part of its review of poll preparedness in the state.
