Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Bengal sees clashes, rival claims of voter roll sabotage and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Violence was also reported in Murshidabad’s Lalbagh, where the BJP said TMC workers barged into the SDO office, beat party activists and ransacked property during the submission process. BJP district president Soumen Mondal alleged, “We were submitting forms as per the schedule when TMC workers attacked us. The SDO office itself was ransacked.”
TMC leader Shaoni Singh Roy rejected the account, insisting BJP leaders had “arrived with nearly 27,000 Form-7 applications”, arguing, “They came fearing defeat in the elections and tried to remove the names of eligible voters. We reached the spot after receiving information.”
Demonstrations rippled through other districts. In Howrah, TMC workers led by MLA Gautam Chowdhury protested outside the district magistrate’s office alleging harassment of voters during hearings. In Malda’s Chanchal-1 block, senior TMC leader and former IPS officer Prasun Banerjee staged a sit-in at a hearing centre over what he said were mass notices sent to voters.
In Paschim Bardhaman, an unusual TMC–CPI(M) joint protest outside the Durgapur SDO office accused authorities of forcing elderly and differently-abled voters to report to far-off centres. In Budbud, TMC supporters allegedly burnt tyres and blocked roads outside the BDO office for hours.
TMC district spokesperson Ujjwal Mukhopadhyay accused the BJP of using the SIR as a “cover” to tamper with rolls. “Under the guise of revision, there is a conspiracy to cancel voters’ names. Elderly people and daily wage earners are being forced to stand in queues for hours. If even one legitimate voter’s name is removed, we will intensify our movement,” he warned. Local CPI(M) leaders voiced similar complaints, particularly in Kanksa block, where the number of hearing centres was described as “grossly inadequate”.