TMC to hold mega virtual meet on Friday to devise strategy for SIR

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee convened a massive virtual meeting on Friday to brief party functionaries about their roles in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list, a process that has triggered political controversy in West Bengal.

Party sources said the meeting, to be addressed by Banerjee, the de facto number two in the party, is expected to witness participation of nearly 15,000 leaders and workers from across the state.

The invitees include party functionaries involved in day-to-day organisational work as well as those entrusted with responsibilities at the district, block, and booth levels for overseeing the voter list revision.

According to TMC insiders, the meeting will focus on ensuring that no eligible voter's name is deleted or omitted from the rolls during the SIR process.

The Election Commission recently announced the special drive to update and correct the electoral rolls, which will continue till early next year.

Banerjee, who has been spearheading the party's campaign against what it calls ''BJP's conspiracy to manipulate the voters' list'', is expected to spell out clear directions to grassroots-level workers on how to monitor the revision exercise and assist citizens in completing necessary formalities.

Party functionaries said Banerjee will emphasise vigilance at the booth level, direct workers to help people fill up forms, collect documents, and ensure that they reach the booth level officers (BLOs) appointed by the Election Commission.

''The aim is to make sure that no eligible voter faces harassment or deletion from the rolls under the garb of NRC-like scrutiny,'' a senior TMC leader said, referring to the party's allegation that panic was being created among people, particularly minorities and marginalised communities, over the revision exercise.

The TMC is likely to form a special coordination team at the state level to assist those involved in monitoring the process and addressing the grievances of people.

The meeting comes amid a political storm following the death of 57-year-old Pradeep Kar from North 24 Parganas, who allegedly died by suicide and left a note blaming ''anxiety'' over the SIR and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for his decision.

The party accused the BJP and sections of the administration of instilling fear among people about possible deletions from the rolls.

Several TMC leaders also said Friday's meeting is part of a broader strategy to turn the issue into a mass campaign and protect what Banerjee has described as ''the democratic right of every citizen to vote''.

In recent days, Banerjee has accused the BJP of conspiring to manipulate the electoral rolls by deleting names of TMC supporters, alleging that such attempts were being orchestrated from the saffron party's offices in some districts.

The BJP, however, has dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying the TMC is trying to politicise a routine administrative exercise.

With Friday's virtual meet, Banerjee is expected to commence a state-wide organisational mobilisation to ensure that ''no genuine voter is left behind'', a message that could set the tone for the party's grassroots campaign ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.