Kolkata, March 11 The CPI(M) wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, stating that it does not endorse the commission's assertion that "most political parties appreciated" the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim wrote that the party had consistently conveyed its serious concerns to the full bench of the commission, which interacted with political parties during its three-day visit to the state to review preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.
Protesting a statement by the ECI on March 9 about the deliberations with political parties in this regard, the CPI(M) said: "The most contentious part of the statement was your claim that 'most political parties appreciated' the massive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise."
The party maintained that the commission stated that parties expressed "complete faith and trust" in the process and its objective of ensuring a pure electoral roll where no eligible voter is left out.
"It is a travesty of the truth to withhold the names of the political parties who voiced their appreciation and those who stood in opposition," Salim wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner on behalf of the CPI(M) state committee.
He said that the CPI(M) has vehemently opposed "the arbitrary manner in which 'logical discrepancies' are being cited to harass genuine voters," claiming that it has pushed over 60 lakh voters in West Bengal in a state of acute anxiety and uncertainty regarding their fundamental right to vote.
"We demand that no eligible voter be disenfranchised based on political, religious, social affiliations or on economic standing," the party wrote.