Kolkata, Nov 6 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday asserted that she would not fill up the enumeration forms before other residents of the state, that are required for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The Chief Minister confirmed that the Booth-Level Officer concerned turned up at her official residence-cum-office at Kalighat in South Kolkata and submitted the enumeration forms.

“Yesterday, the BLOs concerned came to our neighbourhood to do their specific work. As per the work, they came to my residence-cum-office and found out how many voters there were in the residence and gave them the forms. I have not filled up any form myself, and until every person in West Bengal fills up their forms, I will not fill up my form either,” the Chief Minister said in a social media post on Thursday afternoon.

However, she denied reports by some local media houses that she came out of her residence and personally accepted the enumeration form from the BLO concerned. She also claimed that such reports were untrue, misleading, and purposeful propaganda.

“Various media outlets and newspapers have reported that I came out of my residence and received the enumeration form from the BLO with my own hands! This news is completely false, misleading, and purposeful propaganda,” the social media post by the Chief Minister read.

The Chief Minister and her party has been opposing the SIR since the beginning and claimed that the revision exercise was just an attempt by the BJP and the Union Government to slap the NRC in the state.

The Trinamool Congress’ general secretary and the party’s Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, had threatened to take rallies from Bengal to New Delhi in front of the ECI’s headquarters if the name of a single genuine voter is deleted from the voters’ list.

The BJP, on the other hand, had claimed that the Trinamool Congress was opposing the SIR because of fear of deletion of names of illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas from the voters’ list.

The first stage of the three-stage SIR started in West Bengal from Tuesday. During this stage, the BLOs are reaching the doorsteps of the voters with enumeration forms. The entire process is expected to be completed by March next year.

–IANS

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