Actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty has dismissed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's claims of an attempt to cancel her nomination as 'new lies.' He asserted that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is constitutional.
Mithun Chakraborty, Actor & BJP Leader, reacting to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim regarding an alleged attempt by the BJP to cancel her nomination from Bhawanipur, dismissed the allegations and stated that false narratives were being created. "Look, however many lies can be made... just new lies every day," Chakraborty told ANI.
Mithun Chakraborty, on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, asserted that all processes will be carried out as per constitutional provisions. "Everything will be done as per SIR, since it is constitutional," he said.
Tussle Over Electoral Roll Revision
The remarks come amid ongoing political tensions in West Bengal over the electoral roll revision process and allegations raised by multiple parties regarding voter list discrepancies ahead of the Assembly elections. West Bengal has witnessed a major tussle between TMC and the ECI over the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The TMC has accused the ECI of working on the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to delete the names of the voters from the electoral rolls.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP and the ECI of turning "Indian democracy into a cruel joke" over SIR in West Bengal.
Voter List Changes Under Scrutiny
The Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal is currently taking place under judicial supervision. The total number of voters in West Bengal stands at 7,04,59,284 voters (7.04 crore) without adding the names under adjudication, as compared to 7,66,37,529 (7.66 crore) before the SIR exercise. This shows a change of more than 61 lakh names in the list. TMC claimed that out of the 60 lakh voters placed under adjudication, 27 lakhs have been deleted.
ECI Vows 'Fear-Free' Elections
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, referring to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) affirmed that the 2026 State Assembly elections will be free from fear and violence. In an X post, the ECI called for no booth and source jamming on the days of polling in West Bengal. "ECI's Straight-talk to Trinamool Congress. This time, the Elections in West Bengal would surely be: Fear-free, Violence-free, Intimidation-free, Inducement-free, and without any Raid, Booth Jamming and Source Jamming," the poll body said.
High-Stakes Electoral Confrontation
West Bengal is set for two phases of assembly polls on April 23 and 29, with the results set for May 4. The upcoming elections follow the 2021 battle, where the TMC secured a landslide 213 seats. However, the BJP's growth from a minor player to 77 seats in the last cycle has set the stage for the current high-stakes confrontation. (ANI)
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