West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday alleged that its concerns regarding the SIR exercise were not addressed during a pre-poll consultation meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission.

The meeting was held at a hotel in New Town near Kolkata and was attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal. Representatives of various political parties were present at the discussion.

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Speaking to reporters after the meeting, state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the three-member TMC delegation was informed that since the party had approached the Supreme Court on the issue, the matter would be decided there.

TMC delegation alleges EC dismissed concerns

Bhattacharya said the Election Commission repeatedly cited that the matter was sub judice in the Supreme Court whenever the delegation tried to raise concerns about the SIR exercise.

“I am a woman, and I was told 'don't shout'. Why should I not raise my voice when we are speaking about people's rights?” Bhattacharya said while speaking to reporters after the meeting.

The All India Trinamool Congress also criticised the conduct of officials in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the party had every constitutional right to approach the judiciary if democratic rights were at risk.

The party wrote, “Vanish Kumar has lost all credibility, integrity, and now, even the faintest sense of balance. Since arriving in Bengal, he has been confronted by ordinary citizens demanding to know why their names have been struck off the electoral rolls. It appears that this public anger has left him visibly rattled.”

The post further added, “Today, he lashed out at our three-member delegation, even blaming us for dragging @ECISVEEP to the Supreme Court. Why should that offend him? When the democratic rights of our people are under threat, we have every constitutional right to seek judicial redress, and we will continue to exercise that right without hesitation.”

The party also alleged that the official raised his voice at Bhattacharya during the meeting, calling it an example of arrogance toward elected representatives.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who was part of the TMC delegation, claimed that a “false perception” was being created about the presence of infiltrators in West Bengal.

“Over the last two months, not a single infiltrator or Rohingya has been identified, but ordinary Indian citizens are being harassed and forced to prove their nationality,” he said, as reported by PTI.