'Trinamool Must Be Anxious, We Aren't': BJP Chief To NDTV On SIR

The BJP has no concerns about the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, the party's national chief Nitin Nabin said today amid voting in the first of the two-phase assembly election in the state bordering Bangladesh, where illegal immigration is one of the biggest issues.

Referring to the 27 lakh names that did not make it to the voters' list in Bengal, the BJP chief in an interview with NDTV Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal said, "Look, if there is anxiety, it must be in them [Trinamool Congress]. You can understand who is in trouble. We have no anxiety."

Nabin criticised the Trinamool chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for throwing mud at the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.

"Bengal is a border area. The EC's decision is based on ground inputs from local officials. But Mamata Banerjee has been playing a game... I believe it is a decision that will benefit the people of Bengal," Nabin said.

"Will we give the right to vote to people from Bangladesh?" he added.

The BJP chief's comments come amid brisk voting in Bengal, where the polling percentage in the first six hours of the first phase till 1 pm was significantly high at 62.18 per cent.

He dismissed Trinamool's allegations against the EC, saying the constitutional body gives time to everyone in the whole process to make their case, as had happened in Bihar too.

"The 27 lakh people who are not in the list, were they not given a chance? Was it not the duty of the state government to keep track of it? But the state avoided, obstructed and troubled the authorities. There are elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states and there's no problem," Nabin said.

Is the SIR, however, a double-edged sword in the sense that it can also harm the BJP when it comes to communities like Matua whose members did not make it to the list?

Nabin said it does not matter whose loss it is as the SIR exercise is a process undertaken by the Election Commission, with local officials working to verify papers.

"Whether it would be our loss or somebody else's loss, it does not matter. Looking at loss or gain here would bring allegations of bias," he said, adding the real misuse of the government machinery happened in Bengal under Banerjee. "They have been playing many games.

During the first phase voting today, election-related violence was reported from many parts of Bengal. The number of incidents is lower compared to previous elections. Murshidabad, saw major unrest, which left many injured, after clashes broke out between Trinamool workers and Humayun Kabir's supporters.

The Trinamool workers raised "go back" slogans when the leader visited a polling booth in Shibnagar village in Murshidabad's Naoda assembly constituency.