West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja joined the growing chorus of voices criticising the state's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after she was served a hearing notice on Sunday. Panja, who handles the Women and Child Development portfolio, didn't hold back, labeling the entire exercise a rushed job plagued by "lack of preparedness".
The Minister found it particularly baffling that she was marked as "unmapped" despite having been on the voter list since the last major revision in 2002. "I submitted every single document required during the SIR process, yet I’m being told my name is unmapped," she told reporters. "This certainly isn’t a fault on my end, but I suppose this notice is my reward." While she mentioned she would attend her Sunday afternoon hearing without seeking any "ministerial privileges," she expressed deep concern for ordinary citizens who don’t have her resources and are facing similar harassment across the state.
She isn't the only high-profile name caught up in the paperwork scramble. TMC leader and IT cell head Debangshu Bhattacharya revealed that he and his entire family also received SIR notices, despite their details being perfectly in order since 2002.
Bhattacharya took the criticism a step further, floating a more controversial theory. He alleged that the BJP is deploying an AI-based system to monitor social media activity and is using these electoral revisions to "selectively target" those who speak out against the party. While the Election Commission maintains these are routine discrepancies, the TMC leadership is increasingly framing the SIR as a tool for political intimidation ahead of the upcoming polls.
Also read: ED chief Rahul Navin meets senior officials in Kolkata
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