BJP IT cell sitting in EC, using AI to delete voters’ names, says Mamata

Expressing concern over the pace of the SIR exercise, the TMC supremo questioned the EC’s “hurriedness” to complete the exercise (File Photo)

Amid growing fear of more names getting deleted by from the electoral rolls during the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the BJP’s IT cell was operating from within the Election Commission (EC) and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to delete voters’ names.

After the conclusion of the first phase of SIR, around 58 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls. Addressing a rally at Barjora in Bankura district, Mamata said: “People from the BJP’s IT cell are sitting in the Election Commission in Delhi. By feeding lies to the EROs (Electoral Registration Officers) and using AI, they have deleted 54 lakh names,” the chief minister alleged.

Referring to earlier allegations made by TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee against DIG (IT) Seema Khanna of the Election Commission, the chief minister, without naming anyone, said, “In the Election Commission in Delhi, a BJP person is sitting. Sitting in the Election Commission’s office, by telling lies in the name of EROs, that person has removed those names. The EROs’ association has informed by letter that they did not do this work.”

“Do not let this go. Getting names on the list is your right. Otherwise, surround them,” she told the people at the rally.

Expressing concern over the pace of the SIR exercise, the TMC supremo questioned the EC’s “hurriedness” to complete the exercise within two months and claimed that anxiety linked to the process had already claimed nearly 60 lives.

“They are saying 1.5 crore people will be excluded. No one who was born here can be removed from their own land,” she said.

Advising voters whose names had been deleted to reapply, Mamata Banerjee said, “The names of 54 lakh people have been removed. They will fill up Forms 7 and 8. This is your right.”

Following the deletion of over 58 lakh names from the electoral rolls in the first phase of SIR, the EC opened a window for fresh applications.

“If even a single legitimate voter’s name is deleted, the TMC will gherao the office of the Election Commission in Delhi,” she said, adding the people of the state will not tolerate such “harassment”.

Highlighting alleged discrepancies, she said, “Someone’s surname is Singha. In English, that becomes Sinha. That’s it, and the ECI is removing their name.”

She also expressed outrage over TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s sons being called for SIR hearings, and questioned why Booth Level Agents (BLAs) were not allowed inside the hearing rooms.

“Under which law is this decision being taken? Give a written guideline. They are using WhatsApp (to send guidelines). WhatsApp has no value. I will go to court. I will go to the people’s court,” the chief minister said.

She also targeted the BJP’s justification of conducting the SIR exercise as a measure to weed out “infiltrators and Rohingyas”.