Key Points

Speaking to reporters in Siliguri, Majumdar pointed to past precedent, noting that a similar exercise in 2002 resulted in the removal of 20 lakh names from the state's voter list.

"SIR is a regular practice of the Election Commission of India. Even in the year 2002, the SIR exercise was carried out in West Bengal. Names of 20 lakh voters were removed from the voter list...It is the role of the Election Commission to rectify the voter list. A well-proof voter list is necessary to make our democracy vibrant," Majumdar said.

The remarks come at a time when the Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting the SIR exercise in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections later this year--a move that has sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee ridiculed the exercise, calling it "Silent Invisible Rigging", and accused the Election Commission of operating in favour of the BJP. He cited cases such as a residential certificate issued in a dog's name, arguing that genuine voters were being arbitrarily removed from the rolls.

"Under the pretext of SIR, the names of the citizens of this country are being deleted from the list, and a residential certificate is being issued in the name of a dog, and the Election Commission is even accepting this residential certificate. There is a residential certificate in the name of a dog, but people cannot cast their votes. The SIR that they are talking about...Special Intensive Revision...the actual meaning of SIR is rather Silent Invisible Rigging, which has been started by the Election Commission in favour of the BJP. Those who use their voting rights to question the government, the election commission is trying to snatch away their voting rights," the Trinamool MP said.

"The way they are behaving in a partial manner...I believe...they have seen earlier as well, that their actions rendered no results in West Bengal...They have now done it in Bihar; I believe the people of Bihar will respond. Meanwhile, the case is pending in the Supreme Court as well. We have complete trust in the judicial system.... They will try it in Bengal too, they will do a lot of mischief..." Banerjee told reporters here.

Meanwhile, during the Shahid Dibas event in Kolkata on July 21, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the ECI has removed 40 lakh voters from the list in Bihar and alleged that it wants to do the same in West Bengal as well.

"ECI removed over 40 lakh names from the voters' list in Bihar, and now you want to do the same in Bengal? Try it, and we will launch a Gherao movement. We brought our people back from detention once, and we fought in court and won. We will not let this new law stand. We will fight, we will change it, we will not accept it", Mamata Banerjee said during her address.

- ANI