Jitendra Chaudhury Opposes ‘West Bengal-Style’ SIR in Tripura

Tripura Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury on Sunday warned that any attempt to replicate the “West Bengal or Bihar-style” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state would be resisted, as the Election Commission prepares to begin the exercise from September 5.

Chaudhury, who is also the CPI(M) state secretary, urged the Election Commission to ensure that no genuine voter is excluded from the final electoral rolls. He said SIR had been conducted in Tripura previously, but not in the manner adopted in West Bengal and Bihar.

“We want the EC to ensure that no valid voter is left out of the final electoral rolls,” Chaudhury told reporters.

He alleged that the “new style of SIR” introduced under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was intended to exclude eligible voters rather than simply clean up electoral rolls. According to Chaudhury, such an exercise could benefit the BJP politically.

He appealed to people to remain vigilant throughout the revision process, particularly ahead of the 2028 Tripura Assembly elections. Chaudhury said the exercise should not be used to help the ruling BJP-IPFT-Tipra Motha alliance protect its electoral position.

“The party wants no valid elector left out of the final electoral rolls, and any attempt to repeat what we have seen in West Bengal and Bihar will be resisted with the help of the people,” he said.

Chaudhury also criticised the ongoing seat-sharing discussions between the BJP and Tipra Motha Party (TMP) for elections to the Village Committees of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

He described the negotiations as an effort by the two ruling allies to protect their respective electoral interests and said they should publicly disclose their seat-sharing arrangement.

Such transparency, he said, would allow voters to understand the parties’ intentions and prevent them from being “duped” during the electoral process.