Shortly after the Election Commission (EC) held meetings in three districts on Thursday and indicated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal may commence on November 2, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharply criticised the move, accusing the Commission of “threatening” officials and “attempting to conduct NRC in the name of SIR.”
Addressing at Nabanna, the state secretariat, Mamata alleged that the Commission was intimidating Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the name of official meetings. “The meeting is being held with a few officers excluding the state administration,” she claimed.
She further questioned the basis of the EC’s move saying, “The votes have not been announced yet, so on what basis the Commission is holding meetings in each district like this?”
Answering her own question, Mamata alleged, “There is an attempt to launch NRC in the name of SIR.”
The Chief Minister also made a direct accusation against the state’s Chief Election Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal. “There are many allegations against the state CEO. I will tell you when the time comes — he himself is accused of various corruptions,” she said.
Mamata warned that a “conspiracy is underway to cut votes” under the guise of SIR. Raising concerns over the fairness of the process, she also questioned how the Assam government could send notices to Bengal residents.
“How can a BJP minister say before the start of SIR that 1.5 crore names will be excluded? We expect impartiality from the Commission,” she said, adding that the government would not allow the constitutional rights of citizens to be violated.
The Bengal CM cautioned, “If someone's name is cut in a hurry in the name of SIR — be it Rajbangshi or Matua — there will be counter-action.”
Continuing her sharp criticism, Mamata once again targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah, referring to him as “Mir Jafar” for the second consecutive day. She alleged that the Home Minister had personally directed the exclusion of voters’ names.
“I myself heard that the Home Minister gave instructions in a meeting to exclude many names. Who are they to exclude names?” she asked.
The Election Commission has instructed all districts in West Bengal to complete preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process by October 15. However, the ongoing political tensions between the state government and the Commission have raised questions about the smooth conduct of the exercise.
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