Trinamool urges EC to use 2024 as base year for revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal

Another issue raised by the TMC delegation was delayed release of voter turnout data.

New Delhi: A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation on Tuesday met the Election Commission and demanded that 2024 should be used as the base year for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal where Assembly elections are due next year.

The five-member delegation of  Chandrima Bhattacharya, Kalyan Banerjee, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas and Prakash Chik Baraik raised the demand during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

EC said the meeting with Trinamool was part of their outreach with parties and since May 2025, the poll body has met five of the six national parties, with the Congress being the only one left. 

After the meeting with the EC, Banerjee told reporters, "regarding the SIR, we pointed out that it is creating confusion. Under the statute, the revision roll should be based on 2024, that is the base level. This means that voters enrolled till 2024 should remain irrespective of any condition. They took good note of this and said they would consider it."

He said the EC told them that their motive is that no voter should be left behind but they told them that the approach seems to be eligibility first and inclusion later.

Banerjee said one important issue is the birth certificate and the EC said those who are voters will remain so.

Raising concerns over the addition of a large number of voters ahead of polls while referring to Haryana and Delhi, he said they suggested that only new voters between 18 and 21 years of age should be added ahead of the polls. "How can people aged 50-60 suddenly be part of the bulk voter list and how can the number of new inclusions rise to 40,000?" he said.

Another issue raised by the delegation was delayed release of voter turnout data. 

Banerjee added, "one more important point we raised is about institutional bias, this is very important. We said that the moment the election notification is out, we see the Governor starts roaming across the State. This has to stop."

West Bengal Minister Hakim said they raised the issue of central forces entering booths and influencing voters in some places. "We proposed to them that if central forces are there, state police should also be there inside the booth. No forces should enter the area where polling is done inside the booths," he added.