Lost in SIR debate: Muslim attrition from Trinamool

THE NUMBERS PROVIDE MORE EVIDENCE THAT THE OBSESSION WITH ATTRIBUTING TMC'S LOSS IN WEST BENGAL TO REVISION OF VOTER ROLLS IS MISPLACED

- Roshan Kishore, Abhishek Jha and Nishant Ranjan

The electoral impact of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in West Bengal continues to animate political discussion in the state.

SIR’s adjudication phase, which was unique to West Bengal, led to disproportionate deletions in Muslim dominated districts and assembly constituencies (ACs) in the state. These pages showed yesterday why the difference in absolute votes polled by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) being similar to total SIR deletions in the state is not compelling proof that the SIR helped the BJP win West Bengal elections.

A deeper analysis of the election results provides more evidence that the obsession with attributing TMC's loss to SIR is misplaced. In fact, Muslims on the electoral roll, rather than those who were possibly disenfranchised because of SIR, might have played a bigger role in the TMC's poor showing this time. Here is how.