Opp divided over ways to protest demonetisation

November 28, 2016

New Delhi, Nov 28: The demonetisation exercise by the Modi government has brought a rarely seen unity among opposition parties, but they stand divided over the way they would protest against the measure today.

While the Left parties, including the CPI(M) and CPI have called a 12-hour bandh to protest against demonetisation of old high-value currency notes in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's TMC will not join it and only hold protests.

The Congress too has decided not to go for a bandh. Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said no 'Bharat Bandh' has been called by the party which will hold nation-wide protests as part of 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas'.

The JD(U) has decided not to participate in the protests by opposition parties tomorrow or West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's proposed dharna in Patna on November 30 after its leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the demonetisation decision.

"We have supported he Centre's demonetisation move. How can we oppose or be the part of activity like bandh which is meant to protest the issue which our party has strongly supported," Bihar unit JD(U) President Bashishtha Narayan Singh said.

"JD(U) will not be part of any agitation against demonetisation including the dharna by Mamata Banerjee on November 30 in Patna," party Secretary General K C Tyagi said.

"We have taken an ideological position in favour of demonetisation so how can we be part of any agitation seeking its roll back," Tyagi said.

Odisha's ruling BJP will also not join the protests with its leader and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik having hailed the demonetisation decision.

The opposition parties have been divided over the ways to protest against demonetisation ever since Mamata Banerjee decided to march to the President against it. While she was joined by AAP, National Conference and Shiv Sena, an NDA ally, other opposition parties stayed away. Shiv Sena has backed demonetisation but is unhappy over the way it was causing problems to people.

Mamata's TMC and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's AAP are the only parties which have demanded a roll back of the exercise, while other parties have voiced displeasure over the way it was being implemented which was causing hardship to common people.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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