TMC Dissatisfied After Meeting With EC, BJP Urges Shorter Duration For Bengal Polls

Trinamool Congress, on Monday, alleged that its concerns over the SIR exercise were not heard at the pre-poll consultation meeting with the bench of the Election Commission in Kolkata, while the BJP urged the Commission to drastically reduce the duration of the election process.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the three-member delegation of the party was told that since the TMC has gone to the Supreme Court on the issue, it will be decided by there, and the EC has nothing to do with it.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal, held the meeting with representatives of various political parties at a hotel in New Town near Kolkata.

"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?" Bhattacharya said, claiming that the EC repeatedly cited the matter being sub judice in the Supreme Court whenever they tried to raise concerns over the SIR exercise.

"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 have invited us, they must listen to what we have to say," she added.

Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who was a part of the delegation, claimed that a "false perception" was being created about the presence of infiltrators in West Bengal, leading to harassment of genuine Indian citizens.

"Over the last two months, not a single infiltrator or Rohingya has been identified, but ordinary Indian citizens are being harassed and forced to prove their nationality," he claimed.

For TMC, the delegation maintained the stance that the duration of the polls was not of much consequence.

On the other hand, the BJP delegation after meeting the Election Commission demanded that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election be conducted in not more than three phases.

The party also demanded that the Election Commission should take measures for a violence-free West Bengal Assembly election.

The BJP delegation submitted a 16-point charter of demands highlighting concerns over the security environment in the state ahead of the assembly polls.

BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay, who was part of the three-member party delegation that met the CEC and ECs, said the party has urged the Commission to restrict the Assembly polling schedule to a maximum of three phases.

"We demanded a one, two or three-phase election, but not more," he said.

A key concern raised by the BJP delegation related to the deployment and utilisation of nearly 400 companies of central forces currently stationed in the state.

Chattopadhyay criticised the role of the state police in directing these forces, alleging that the existing "confidence-building measures" were failing to reassure voters.

The party also alleged that route marches were being deliberately conducted in relatively peaceful areas instead of sensitive locations. "Our first demand is to conduct the election in one, two or at most three-phase election. There is no need for seven or eight-phase election," he told reporters.

With PTI inputs