00:06Their names are among nearly 90 lakh voters deleted from the electoral rolls in West Bengal.
00:12All of them happen to be Muslims. With polling scheduled for April 23,
00:16it looks like 90 lakh people, that's just 10 lakh short of a crore, will not be able to vote.
00:22So what's happening in West Bengal? Here's the thing, this whole controversy is a fallout
00:27of the Special Intensive Revision, SIR, an exercise by the Election Commission of India,
00:32to update voter lists, remove duplicates and verify entries.
00:35CM Mamata Banerjee has claimed,
00:40This India Today report cited a Kolkata-based research organization,
00:44who said their analysis of the ECI data showed that,
00:50India Today reported that highest number of ineligible individuals
00:54were identified in Mursheedabad, followed by North 24 Parganas, Malda and South 24 Parganas.
01:00Banerjee has accused the BJP of deliberately targeting minorities and communities
01:04like the Matuas, saying they were picked and removed like lights.
01:08The BJP, however, has backed the exercise, claiming,
01:13The Supreme Court of India stepped in, ordering the creation of 19 appellate tribunals
01:17to hear cases of those excluded.
01:20But as of April 6, none of the 19 appellate tribunals constituted by the court
01:24had become functional.
01:25There's anger, helplessness and confusion among people.
01:36They have set up helpdesks to help fellow villagers.
01:46Little though can be done about restoring deleted names in this election.
01:50Cases currently pending before the tribunals can only be added to the voter list
01:54for the next election cycle.
01:56Under the rules, the voter list is frozen once the last state for filing of nominations is over.
02:01Now, Muslim voters have long been a decisive force in Bengal politics.
02:05They made up about 27% of the population in 2011.
02:09A number, Mamata Banerjee claims, is now close to 33%.
02:12After the Sarchar committee report in 2006 highlighted their socio-economic marginalisation,
02:18Muslim voters played a key role in the 2011 election,
02:21helping end the left front's 34-year rule and bringing Mamata to power.
02:25For over a decade, this voting bloc has remained solidly behind the Trinamul Congress.
02:30Which is why, with lakhs of names missing from the roles,
02:33this isn't just about data correction.
02:35It's about who gets to vote and who doesn't.
02:39Law.
02:40Law.
02:40Law.
02:41Law.
02:41Law.
02:41Law.
02:41Law.
Comments