Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar faced protests from local residents over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as he arrived to offer prayers at Kolkata’s Kalighat Temple on Monday.
Demonstrators waved black flags and raised “go back” slogans against the CEC, who was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal. Police quickly brought the situation under control, allowing Kumar to proceed with his temple visit.
Kumar, along with Election Commissioners S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, is in the state to assess preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections. During the three-day visit, the poll officials are scheduled to meet political parties, enforcement agencies, and senior administrative officials to review election arrangements.
The protests at Kalighat follow similar demonstrations at Kolkata airport on Sunday night. Activists of both the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties joined the protests, heightening tensions in the area.
Police, however, have maintained that adequate security arrangements have been made for Kumar's three-day visit.
West Bengal has seen widespread unrest over the electoral roll revision process, with the ruling TMC accusing the Election Commission of removing legitimate voters from the lists. Official data released on February 28 shows that 63.66 lakh names—around 8.3 per cent of the electorate—have been deleted since the SIR process began in November last year, reducing the voter base from approximately 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the situation as an “unprecedented and direct assault” on India’s democratic foundations. On Sunday, TMC MLA Tapas Chatterjee led a protest in New Town, claiming participation from citizens across the state.
Responding to the agitations, CEC Kumar said, “Everyone has the right to protest in a democracy. There are meetings scheduled today and tomorrow with officials, political parties, and the press. Decisions on arrangements for the elections will be made there. The election will be conducted in a completely peaceful manner.”