Agartala, July 24: Former Tripura Chief Minister and senior CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar has alleged that the BJP might replicate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in other states if it secures a win in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
Addressing a party meeting in Agartala, Sarkar said the BJP and its allies, including JD(U), are apprehensive about the Bihar elections, expected in November, and hence, conducted the SIR with the help of the Election Commission. He claimed that if the BJP gains an electoral advantage in Bihar through this process, similar revisions could follow in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
The veteran Left leader also alleged that the SIR process led to the deletion of 50 to 52 lakh names from the electoral rolls—mostly belonging to Muslims and Dalits. “The final electoral rolls were published in January this year based on the SIR, and the state elections may now proceed accordingly,” he said.
Sarkar further accused the BJP of functioning under the RSS ideology, systematically dismantling democratic norms and the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) has also urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct a similar SIR in Tripura. TMP chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, after leading a nine-member delegation to meet the ECI in New Delhi, said the Commission assured them that the SIR process will be implemented nationwide, including in Tripura.
Debbarma emphasized the need for door-to-door verification to tackle illegal migration, stating, “If we don’t identify illegal voters now, there will be no future for the next generation.”
