Kolkata: Opposition leaders from the CPM, Mamata TMC and Congress in a letter, have urged the state election commissioner (SEC) to defer elections to the Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporations until the special summary revision (SSR) and re-enrolment of voters left out during the SIR are completed.
The draft electoral roll under SSR will be published on Nov 12, with the final roll due on Jan 4. The revision aims to enrol eligible voters and accept advance applications for qualifying dates in April, July and Oct 2027. BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari said the timing of the polls was the SEC’s prerogative, adding that his party would win whether elections were held in Nov or after Jan 4. The South 24 Parganas district administration has invited Trinamool to collect hard copies of the draft electoral rolls for the KMC elections, sending a letter to the address registered under the party’s name.
The administration, therefore, sent the official invite under the previously registered party name.
“We want all eligible voters to be able to vote, but when elections will be held is solely the decision of the SEC,” he said. State govt sources said they were yet to receive any formal communication from the SEC regarding the two factions of the TMC. Signatories include Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, TMC MP Saugata Roy, former CPM MP Samik Lahiri and former Rajya Sabha MP and retired IAS officer Jawhar Sircar, besides civil rights workers.