West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday and claimed that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound
state has been turned into an exercise aimed at excluding voters rather than correcting records.
In a three-page letter, the Chief Minister accused the Election Commission of political bias and high-handedness, claiming that the process lacked sensitivity and had caused widespread harassment of ordinary voters.
“The hearing process has become largely mechanical, driven purely by technical data and is completely devoid of the application of mind, sensitivity and human touch,” Banerjee wrote, adding that the objective of the exercise appeared to be “neither of correction nor of inclusion… but solely of deletion and of exclusion.”
She also expressed concerns over several eminent personalities including economist Amartya Sen, poet Joy Goswami, cricketer Mohammed Shami, and others, receiving SIR notice and said that this has exposed the sheer institutional arrogance.
Banerjee said ordinary voters were being subjected to coercive hearings over minor issues such as spelling errors or small age discrepancies, resulting in harassment and loss of wages. She drew particular attention to women who had changed their surnames after marriage and were allegedly being summoned to prove their identity, which she called a grave insult.
“Women electors who have shifted to their matrimonial homes and changed their surnames after marriage are being questioned and summoned for hearings to prove their identity. This not only reflects a complete lack of social sensitivity but also constitutes a grave insult to women and genuine voters. Is this how a constitutional authority treats half of the electorate?” she wrote.
She also raised concerns about the selective targeting of “logical discrepancies” in certain constituencies, the use of a different portal in West Bengal, and backend changes causing confusion among officials.
“Do such trivial discrepancies justify coercive action that results in harassment, inconvenience and for many even losses of daily wages? Who will compensate citizens for the hardship caused by such tyrannical actions of the ECI?” she added.
Banerjee also pointed out that Booth-Level Agents (BLAs) were involved during enumeration but have been denied access during hearings, raising questions about fairness and transparency. She alleged that observers and micro-observers are being appointed without consultation with the state government and that many lack adequate training, affecting the credibility of the process.
She also accused the poll body of drifting dangerously from its constitutional role.
“The ECI appears to have descended to a level that is difficult to comprehend and deeply alarming for any democratic society. The objective seems neither of correction nor of inclusion in the electoral rolls, but solely of deletion and of exclusion. This is unprecedented, deeply unfortunate and strikes at the very core of our democratic polity-one that thrives on the ideals and values enshrined in our Constitution,” she said.
However, democracy is not sustained by fear, she said, while adding that electoral rolls are not purified by coercion.
“And constitutional authorities do not earn respect by behaving like unaccountable overlords. I have placed these concerns formally before the CEC. Even now, it is not too late to course correct. I hope wisdom prevails. I hope the agony of citizens ends,” she said, hoping that the ‘sanctity’ of the democracy is restored.
