TMC Alleges ‘Software-Driven Rigging’ in Electoral Roll Revision, Targets West Bengal

The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday intensified its criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI), claiming that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had turned into a “software-intensive rigging exercise” aimed at disenfranchising genuine voters, with West Bengal being the main target.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, and Saket Gokhale alleged that the revision process was being conducted in a hurried, opaque, and insensitive manner, causing widespread difficulties for voters in both rural and urban areas.

“People are running from pillar to post. The elderly, villagers, daily-wage workers — everyone is facing hardships and there is no help available on the ground,” O’Brien said. He added that the exercise, presented as a “Special Intensive Revision,” had in reality become a software-driven process.

The TMC said that voters were being flagged for minor variations, such as differences in the spelling of parents’ names or slight discrepancies in recorded ages. “What is this so-called ‘logical discrepancy’?” Ghose asked, questioning the rationale behind these classifications.

The MPs also cited the Supreme Court’s guidance that any discrepancies must be fully explained to affected voters. However, they alleged that those whose names appeared on the lists were receiving little or no assistance. “Instead of helping people, they are being harassed, dragged from one office to another,” O’Brien said, calling for the exercise to be conducted “humanely and transparently.”

The TMC also demanded the release of transcripts of meetings held between opposition parties and the ECI on November 20 and December 31. “We have been asking for transparency for over 50 days,” O’Brien said. “Release the six hours of transcripts. Let the country see what was said and what assurances, if any, were given.”

Gokhale added that TMC leadership, including party chief Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, had repeatedly written to the ECI with constructive suggestions. “One of the letters even carried a handwritten postscript saying, ‘We know you will not reply,’” he said, describing the Commission’s response as “studied silence.”

The party alleged that while the SIR was first carried out in Bihar, its real focus had shifted to West Bengal. “From the beginning, the real target was Bengal,” Ghose claimed.

However, the TMC clarified that it was not opposed to removing ineligible or non-citizen voters from the rolls. “Those who are not citizens should be removed,” Ghose said.

The Election Commission, for its part, has maintained that the SIR is a routine administrative exercise intended to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls. It has not yet responded to the specific allegations made by the TMC.