TMC begins groundwork for second phase of SIR; focuses on migrant workers, document-less voters

Kolkata, Dec 11 (PTI) With the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ending on Thursday and the draft rolls set for publication next week, the ruling TMC in West Bengal has already launched an aggressive three-track strategy to protect its voter base in the second phase, party leaders said.

Senior leaders told PTI that the party has begun "early groundwork" on three crucial fronts bringing back migrant workers to ensure in-person verification, identifying and assisting document-less voters, and adding the names of newly married women who have shifted residences.

The party, they said, has instructed its organisation down to the booth and block levels to remain "on high alert." A senior TMC leader said, "The first phase created some wounds because of the pressure exerted by the Commission. The second phase offers us the chance to apply the balm. We cannot afford to slip." The first major thrust area is voters who lack the 2002 family linkage on the rolls as well as any of the documents prescribed by the Election Commission.

TMC leaders concede that this group is vulnerable and at risk of exclusion.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already announced that from December 12, every block will host a "May I Help You" camp where state government officials will assist citizens in generating necessary documents.

A senior TMC leader told PTI, "The state administration is willing to help but taking these document-less voters to the camps is organisational work. We have identified most such voters during the first phase. Taking them to the government camps will not be very difficult because most of the elected local representatives belong to our party." The party has prepared a draft list of such voters and circulated it among local leaders.

According to senior functionaries, the TMC's internal assessment shows that several districts in south Bengal still have a significant portion of migrant workers who did not return during the first phase.

Although family members submitted enumeration forms on their behalf, the party fears many names may not make it to the draft rolls unless the workers appear physically during hearings.

One senior TMC leader overseeing preparations said, "We had been trying for months to encourage them to return. The government even launched schemes to motivate them. The response was not huge, but the participation we saw in the first phase has encouraged us. We now have to ensure the rest appear in person in the second phase." District presidents and MLAs have been asked to monitor this exercise closely and ensure that local committees coordinate transport and outreach.

The third category the TMC is targeting comprises newly married women who have relocated, either between districts or from other states, after marriage.

"This number may not be huge, but this category must be taken care of. Even if small, it's an emotional and political message that we stand by them," said a party functionary.

TMC sources admit that the party's grassroots economic ecosystem is closely tied to the local municipalities and panchayat, which were seen actively canvassing in neighbourhoods during the first phase.

"The second phase is entirely administrative, carried out by government employees acting as Commission-nominated officers. So our organisational alertness has to be sharper," a senior leader said.

The TMC is also wary of alleged attempts to add "fake voters" aged 18 and above to the rolls. Local-level vigilance committees have been asked to monitor all new inclusions.

At the same time, the party is preparing to challenge deletions, especially those marked as deceased, by demanding supporting documents during hearings to "put pressure on the Commission." Simultaneously, the TMC is maintaining a parallel dataset through the 'Didir Doot' app, which is being monitored jointly by the government and the party's advisory agency. Constituency-wise tracking is already underway.

"TMC's brass accepts that if the first phase was challenging, the second will be even more crucial," a senior party leader said, adding, "This is where the real battle for voter protection begins." PTI PNT MNB