West Bengal elections: CPM seeks SC intervention over missing voters

KOLKATA: The CPM will move the Supreme Court against possible disenfranchisement of the voters who were put under the adjudicated list during the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll. The party, which already moved the Apex court against SIR in Tamil Nadu, will now add the "threat of disenfranchisement" in Bengal to its petition.

"We moved the court already. Now that the dates were declared without finalising the 60 lakh adjudicated cases, we will add this issue to the existing case. We will fight it out on the streets, booths and in the court," CPM's state secretary Md Salim said on Sunday.




Murshidabad resident Mostari Banu, who moved the SC over the ECI's SIR in Bengal, was also supported by the CPM. "We are demanding voting rights for those who are facing the threat of disenfranchisement. Matuas, refugees, people from the minority community, women and youth are on the verge of losing their democratic right to cast votes. We will see where it ends," said Salim.

Alleging that the ECI was unable to "cleanse the electoral roll properly", the CPM on Sunday trained guns on both the BJP and Trinamool, trying to reduce the democratic political space for the opposition.

"The ECI said that it will come out with a supplementary list. We are apprehending that this will further increase complications. We are speaking to lawyers at every level to help people who are fighting the battle to get their right to vote back," Salim said.