Mamata Banerjee shuns reports that claimed she filed SIR form
What's the story
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has denied media reports that claimed she personally received enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The reports, including by TMC mouthpiece Jago Bangla, claimed she accepted the forms at her residence on Wednesday. Banerjee termed these reports as "completely false, misleading, and a deliberate attempt at spreading misinformation." She clarified that a local booth-level officer (BLO) visited her residence to inquire about voter numbers and handed over forms.
Claim
Her clarification
"A BLO had come to our area yesterday in discharge of his electoral duties. He came to the office at my residence, inquired about the number of voters in the premises and handed over forms," the CM said. "A section of the media has reported that I came out of my residence and accepted the enumeration forms personally. This information is completely false, misleading, and a deliberate attempt at spreading misinformation," she stated.
Election revision
Banerjee's stand on SIR process
Banerjee has been vocal against how the Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting the SIR exercise in West Bengal. She said she won't fill any forms until all citizens have done so. On Tuesday, she led a massive protest march in Kolkata against SIR of electoral rolls. The 3.8-km march started at BR Ambedkar statue on Red Road and ended at Jorasanko Thakur Bari.
Reason
Protest against SIR
Banerjee was accompanied by her nephew and the party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. At the rally, Abhishek claimed that after the announcement of SIR, many people have lost their lives. "Today, we participated in the protest rally against SIR... BJP must think if we can arrange such a huge gathering in 2 days, what will be our turnout when we go to Delhi for our protest... Now prepare for the next destination, Delhi. We are ready to fight."