Trinamool Congress councillors across Kolkata Municipal Corporation have begun intensive meetings with booth-level party agents, preparing them for the upcoming electoral roll revision and training them to prevent the deletion of genuine voters or addition of fraudulent names.
The mobilisation comes amid growing speculation in Bengal politics over whether the Election Commission of India will order a special intensive revision (SIR) similar to the controversial process currently underway in Bihar. The Trinamool Congress, as part of the opposition INDIA bloc, has strongly opposed any such move.
Mayor Firhad Hakim, who also serves as MLA for Calcutta Port and councillor for Ward 82, led the charge by meeting with booth-level agents in Chetla on Monday evening. Other councillors across the city are following suit, with meetings scheduled throughout the week.
“We discussed the upcoming scrutiny of electoral rolls,” Hakim told Metro on Tuesday. “Fresh names will be added, and those who have left the neighbourhood or died must be deleted. We’ve asked booth-level agents to stay alert so no wrong inclusion or omission occurs.”
A councillor from north Calcutta has scheduled her ward meeting for Wednesday. Trinamool sources indicate the leadership will soon direct all district presidents to begin similar meetings across Bengal.
Unlike booth-level officers (BLOs), who are government officials, booth-level agents (BLAs) are party workers with intimate knowledge of their constituencies.
“There’s an apprehension that electoral rolls may see intentional addition of bogus voters or removal of genuine voters,” Mayor Hakim said. “Booth-level agents will be vital in preventing such attempts.”
An experienced IAS officer involved in election management emphasised their importance. “A booth typically has around 1,000 voters. The booth-level agent knows who has reached voting age, who has moved, or who has died. They’re usually the first to spot errors in electoral rolls,” said the officer, speaking anonymously.
The concern stems from Bihar’s ongoing SIR, launched June 25 — five months before the state Assembly’s term ends. The document-based citizenship verification process has become a major flashpoint, with Opposition parties arguing it will disenfranchise legitimate voters who lack required documentation.
The Bihar revision removed approximately 6.5 million names from existing electoral rolls in its draft phase, heightening fears among Opposition parties about similar exercises elsewhere.
In Trinamool’s internal structure, Calcutta is divided into South Calcutta and North Calcutta districts. Debashis Kumar, the Rashbehari MLA, heads South Calcutta district, while a committee of senior leaders manages North Calcutta affairs.
State government sources report over 80,000 polling booths across Bengal, with more than 4,700 located in Calcutta alone.
Ward 49 councillor Monalisa Banerjee revealed the dual nature of their approach. “All agents will conduct door-to-door visits to distribute leaflets for our Amader Para Amader Samadhan program. While doing so, they’ll identify families needing electoral roll additions or those living elsewhere who won’t vote here. This serves as preparatory work,” Banerjee said.
The systematic nature of these meetings across the city suggests that the Trinamool leadership views potential electoral roll manipulation as a serious threat requiring coordinated grassroots resistance.