Agarwal said on Sunday that every voter will receive modern voter slips in the upcoming Bengal assembly polls following the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. Speaking during the National Voters’ Day celebration in Kolkata, he said the ECI will ensure that every voter can exercise their democratic rights.
Talking about efforts to increase the urban voting percentage, Agarwal said, “In urban areas, voting is less. We will try to increase it. We will hold a separate meeting with 18-year-olds (new voters) and urge them to appeal to their parents to vote in large numbers.”
He said the voting percentage in India is higher than many advanced democracies, including the US. During the Bengal SIR, “treatment was equal for all. BLOs gave EFs to all and many, including political leaders, received hearing calls.” He said “we will not delete any eligible voters.”
CM ON ECI
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee took to X and called ECI’s celebration of National Voters’ Day as “a tragic farce” and said that “the commission is busy snatching away people’s voting rights.”
The CM, in her post, said that she was deeply distressed and disturbed by the conduct of the ECI because they have not complied with the Supreme Court’s verdict or working as per rules to protect the democratic voting rights.
