TMC MPs Give Notices In LS, RS To Discuss 'Voter Disenfranchisement'

Trinamool Congress MPs have given notices in both Houses of Parliament to discuss "voter disenfranchisement", sources said on Monday.

In the Lok Sabha, senior party leader Saugata Roy has submitted an adjournment motion notice demanding a debate on the issue. In the Rajya Sabha, MPs Nadimul Haque and Saket Gokhale have given notices under Rule 267, sources said.

The move comes as the opposition cries foul over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five states -- including West Bengal -- that are heading to Assembly elections.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been vocal in its opposition to the manner in which the SIR exercise is being carried out.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been sitting on a dharna in Kolkata since Friday to protest against the SIR campaign.

According to official data released on February 28, as many as 63.66 lakh names, or around 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted since the SIR process began in West Bengal in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.

In addition, over 60.06 lakh electors have been placed under the "under adjudication" category, which means their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.

The second half of the Budget session of Parliament is set for a stormy start on Monday, with the Lok Sabha scheduled to take up an opposition-sponsored resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.

The ongoing conflict in West Asia is also likely to figure prominently as the opposition is already attacking the government over its stance towards Iran, and the US "waiver" on India's Russian oil purchase, among other issues.