Ex-TMC MP seeks urgent Calcutta HC hearing on EC's move to collect BLA details for SIR a year before Bengal Assembly polls
The counsel for Chakraborty, who was a Rajya Sabha member, mentioned the matter on Monday before the single bench of Justice Amrita Sinha, seeking an urgent hearing. According to Chakraborty's counsel, Arko Nag, it is not within the Commission's jurisdiction to seek this information now.
Nag submitted: 'The EC (Election Commission) has announced that they will implement SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in West Bengal. District Magistrate has given notice to all political parties to submit names of BLAs. It was usually done seven days prior to voting day. Now, they are asking to disclose names of BLAs one year prior to elections. It is beyond the power of EC as per the People Act. DMs, acting as District Election Officers, are asking political parties to submit names.'
Justice Sinha observed: 'So where is privacy involved here? It is not only for you but for all other parties as well.' Nag submitted, 'We are assailing the cause. Others might have accepted it.'
The Election Commission in August had sent a letter to the CEO of West Bengal stating that the list of BLAs should be submitted to the Commission. The Commission directed political parties to keep a list of booth-level agents ready so that if anything unusual happens during the SIR, it could be 'easily noticed'. At the same time, parties were also told to send that list to the Commission in advance.
Nag submitted in court that since the Commission has announced SIR in the state, the case should be heard quickly. However, the court rejected the request for an urgent hearing, with a possibility of it happening next week.
On Sunday, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a press conference in Delhi stated that the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal and other states will be announced in due course. He said the SIR exercise was aimed at removing shortcomings in the voter list, and that it is a matter of 'grave concern' some parties are spreading 'misinformation' about it, 'firing from the Election Commission's shoulder.'
The Trinamool Congress has expressed doubts about the 'efficacy' of the SIR exercise in Bengal and vowed to oppose any move by the EC to delete names of genuine voters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Country will ask for affidavit from Election Commission of India: Rahul Gandhi
A day after Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar gave an ultimatum to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to file an affidavit regarding his allegations of voter roll manipulations in Karnataka within a week, the Congress leader hit back at the CEC saying that 'the entire country will ask for an affidavit from the Election Commission of India'. 'A day will come when the INDIA bloc will have a government in Bihar as well in the Centre. Then action would be taken. Election Commissioner, you understand it very well, that if you will not do your job properly, then strict action is going to be taken against you,' Mr. Gandhi, who is on his 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', said at a rally in Gaya district on Monday (August 18, 2025). 'Election Commission has said that if I do not give an affidavit in one week then what I said is baseless. Wait for some time, the entire country will ask for an affidavit from it. We will reveal vote theft in every State. SIR is a new way to steal votes,' he alleged. The Congress leader urged the crowd to prevent 'vote theft' in the upcoming Bihar Assembly election. Mr. Gandhi said 'the people of Bihar will teach a lesson' to the poll body and Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'if they attempt vote theft' in the State. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, while addressing the rally, said the CEC has taken 'membership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'. 'We have to throw out the BJP who are cunning people... CEC Gyanesh Kumar should tell whether he has taken a membership of BJP. Whatever instructions come from the PMO and Narendra Modi, Gyanesh Kumar speaks,' he said. Mr. Yadav urged the people to support the Grand Alliance in Bihar to form the government. He credited Mr. Gandhi with 'destroying' the alleged 'design of the BJP' to remove the names of the voters from the draft rolls. Earlier in the day, Mr. Gandhi, along with INDIA bloc leaders, resumed their march from Kutuma in Aurangabad district after visiting the Sun Temple in Deo. They took out a roadshow in Aurangabad where a large number of party workers and supporters joined in raising slogans against SIR, the poll body, Mr. Modi and the BJP. Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Yadav, CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya and Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani interacted with people who had voted in the last few elections but whose names have been struck off the draft rolls. In a message on X, Mr. Gandhi said, 'Those who voted in the last 4-5 elections, their votes were also stolen in Bihar. And, when the reason was asked, only one answer was given - orders came from above. This is a fight for the rights of the poor - we will not stop. We will put an end to vote theft.'
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Oppn walkout in Rajya Sabha on SIR, government says 69 hours of work wasted this session
The Rajya Sabha witnessed disruptions by the Opposition over the SIR issue, leading to adjournments and a walkout. Despite the turmoil, the government successfully passed the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, with support from BJP and allied parties. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Opposition forced a washout of the first half in the Rajya Sabha on Monday and staged a walkout in the post-lunch session on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue but the government managed to get the Indian Ports Bill, 2025 passed after a short debate in which members of BJP and like-minded parties took the monsoon session scheduled to end on Thursday, there is not much listed business in the Upper House. In the Business Advisory Committee meeting, the government has stated that it will move only two legislations this week: The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025; and the Indian Institute of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 after the Lok Sabha clears it and sends it to the sources said that with the SIR issue hitting a roadblock in the House, three parties –– Congress, TMC and AAP –– have written to the deputy chairman demanding a Short Duration Discussion on 'the urgent need to strengthen the electoral process' under Rule 176. The letter has been signed by Jairam Ramesh (Congress), Derek O'Brien (TMC) and Sanjay Singh (AAP). The chair has not yet taken cognizance of the Upper House met for the day, deputy chairperson Harivansh made an obituary reference to the passing away of Nagaland Governor La Ganesan. He then announced that he has received 19 notices under Rule 267 for the suspension of listed business to take up matters of urgent importance. The chair rejected these notices as they were not in the House proceeded to take up Zero Hour with Dinesh Sharma (BJP) as the first speaker, the Opposition was on its feet and raised slogans on the SIR issue. The House was adjourned till 2 Indian Ports Bill, 2025 was taken up by the House with vice chairman Sasmit Patra in the chair. The Opposition pressed for a discussion on SIR but Patra did not yield. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said the House and the chair are the supreme authority to discuss the issue. 'Constitution has given us this right and nobody can snatch it from us,' he leader of the House JP Nadda rose to counter this, the Opposition members staged a walkout. Nadda said the SIR issue is sub-judice and hence cannot be discussed. He charged that 69 hours of work in Rajya Sabha has been wasted due to Opposition protests in this session. He termed the conduct of the Opposition as 'irresponsible behaviour and anarchism'.'We are willing to discuss all issues as per the rules. From opposing a party, they have ended up opposing the nation,' Nadda minister Sarbanand Sonowal piloted the Indian Ports Bill which was passed after a few members from the treasury benches and from parties that extend issue-based support to the government spoke briefly on the legislation.
The Hindu
26 minutes ago
- The Hindu
INDIA bloc considering motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar
The INDIA bloc is considering a motion against Chief Election Commission (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, seeking his removal. The idea was mooted at the meeting of the Opposition's Parliamentary floor leaders on Monday (August 18, 2025). Parliament Monsoon Session: Follow updates on August 18, 2025 According to sources, the Opposition discussed whether it should continue with protests against the Election Commission, especially after the Supreme Court, in an interim order, directed the poll body to publish the details of 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral roll published on August 1, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar. The leaders concurred that after the CEC's Sunday (August 17, 2025) press conference, in which he accused the Opposition of 'spreading misinformation', the protests had to continue. Congress leaders suggested that the Opposition should step up the pressure by moving a motion against Mr. Kumar for making 'politically charged accusations.' Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal told The Hindu that there was a consensus in the INDIA bloc on the issue. 'He (Mr. Kumar) spoke not like the Chief Election Commissioner but like a BJP politician. In the entire press conference, he did not answer the questions raised by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the other parties. Instead, he ridiculed the Opposition for raising the questions,' he said. 'Is it the duty of the CEC to indulge in politics?' Mr. Venugopal, who said that the Opposition has enough numbers to move the motion, flagged the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which provides immunity to the CEC and Election Commissioners for all decisions taken by them in present and the past. He said that one should 'read between the lines' why such an immunity was extended. According to the Act, the CEC can be removed in the same manner and grounds as a Supreme Court judge. Parliament can dismiss the CEC by a motion with two-thirds majority in both the Houses. In order for the motion to be accepted, at least 50 members have to sign in its favour. Later in the day, the INDIA bloc leaders held a press conference to 'rebut' Sunday's (August 17, 2025) presser by the CEC. They flagged that the CEC failed to answer questions on why the SIR was being done in 'such a hurry' when the State elections were three months away. Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ramgopal Yadav said that while the poll body asked Mr. Gandhi to give an affidavit, the SP had submitted affidavits with complaints of around 18,000 voters being removed from the list in 2022. 'In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls, when Akhilesh Yadav said names of SP supporters had been removed from the voter list, we gave affidavits. But no action has been taken,' he said. Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra said that if the voter list on which the last General Election was conducted was incorrect, the Lok Sabha should be dissolved. 'Is the list on which the Lok Sabha election was held fraudulent? If that is true, the current and previous Election Commissioners should be prosecuted, and this Lok Sabha should be dissolved immediately,' she said. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha attacked the CEC and said, 'Yesterday we were looking for our CEC, we found a new BJP spokesperson.'
