West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday has once again voiced strong objections to the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. In a strongly worded letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Mamata alleged that the constitutionally mandated exercise is being carried out in an arbitrary manner, allegedly through “WhatsApp messages” and without any formal written instructions.
In her letter, the Chief Minister claimed that crucial decisions related to voter list revision are being taken without issuing any official notification, circular, or legal directive. She said such a process lacks transparency and accountability and could result in the wrongful deletion of eligible voters’ names, posing a serious threat to democratic principles.
Mamata further alleged that voters’ names are being removed from the electoral rolls through the IT system “from the backend.” She pointed out that, as per law, the approval of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) is mandatory for any changes to the voter list. However, she claimed that EROs are being kept uninformed in several cases during the SIR process.
The letter also highlighted alleged inconsistencies in document verification. According to the Chief Minister, documents that were accepted as valid during the SIR exercise in Bihar are being rejected in West Bengal. She claimed that even permanent residency certificates issued by the state government are not being accepted as proof of voter identity, leading to harassment of migrant workers.
Mamata further alleged that voters are being summoned for hearings without being informed in advance about the documents they are required to produce. In many cases, she claimed, no receipt is issued after documents are submitted. The exclusion of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from the hearing process, she said, raises serious concerns about the impartiality and credibility of the exercise.
The state government has also objected to the alleged ignoring of its proposed list for the appointment of observers and micro-observers. Mamata argued that assigning these responsibilities to what she described as inexperienced central government employees has eroded public confidence in the revision process.
Urging immediate intervention, the Chief Minister called the SIR process “flawed and haphazard” and warned that unless corrective measures are taken at once, a large number of eligible voters could be excluded from the electoral rolls. Such an outcome, she said, would amount to a direct attack on the fundamental structure of democracy.
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