13 hours ago
Ex-TMC MP seeks urgent Calcutta HC hearing on EC's move to collect BLA details for SIR a year before Bengal Assembly polls
Former Trinamool Congress MP Subhasish Chakraborty's counsel challenged the Election Commission's decision to seek information on Booth Level Agents (BLAs) a year before the West Bengal Assembly elections at the Calcutta High Court.
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.
