"India has a mature democracy; issues will be resolved within laws of the land," says WB Governor CV Ananda Bose

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 15 (ANI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday expressed confidence in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), saying that India's democracy is "mature" and that any concerns arising from the process will be resolved within the constitutional and legal framework.
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Governor Bose said, "That's an issue which will be sorted out by the Election Commission of India, which has all the authority and the gravitas to do it well. India has a mature democracy where these issues will be sorted out within the Constitution, within the laws of the land."
His remarks came amid concerns raised by certain community leaders regarding the SIR exercise, which aims to ensure the accuracy of the voter list across several states.
Earlier, Kolkata's Nakhoda Masjid Imam Maulana Mohd Shafique Qazmi expressed concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise by the Election Commission.
Speaking with ANI, he acknowledged the Election Commissioner's right to revise the voter list every 10 years but emphasised that people should not be harassed in the process. Qazmi condemned the alleged targeting of minorities in Bihar, stating that their names were being removed from the voter list, which he claimed was discriminatory.
He suggested that instead of deleting names, a life certificate should be issued to make it easier for people and the government.
"The Election Commissioner has the right to revise the voter list every 10 years, and rightly so, many people die or migrate to other states or cities... But people should not be harassed in the name of SIR... The list should be modified and a life certificate should be issued to the people, which will make it easy not only for the people but also for the government... The way names have been deleted from the voter list in Bihar is condemnable. Only minorities have been targeted and their names removed. This discrimination is not right..." Qazmi told ANI.
The Election Commission had published the final electoral roll for the Bihar assembly elections last month, following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. (ANI)