In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Election Commission has strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of making inflammatory statements to undermine the Special Intensive Revision(SIR) process in the state. In its affidavit, the ECI alleged that Banerjee held press conferences to spread fear and circulated misleading and incorrect information regarding the SIR. The Commission said that such actions were aimed at damaging the credibility of the voter list revision exercise.
The Election Commission further stated that, unlike other states, West Bengal is witnessing a significantly higher level of threats and obstructions during the SIR process. According to the affidavit, people are being provoked by being misinformed about the revision exercise, creating an atmosphere of hostility. The ECI also claimed that its officials in the state are facing threats and incidents of violence.
Notably, Mamata Banerjee has consistently opposed the SIR process. Recently, she wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that instead of correcting voter records, the SIR has turned into an exercise to remove voters’ names from the electoral rolls. This was her third letter to the Chief Election Commissioner since the SIR process began in the state.
EC likely to extend SIR deadline in Bengal
The Election Commission (EC) is likely to delay the finalisation of voter lists in West Bengal following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Originally, the poll body planned to release the final electoral rolls by February 14, but this timeline may now be extended.
An official, cited by PTI, said that multiple instructions issued by the Supreme Court have made it difficult to complete the process as scheduled.
"Implementing all the Supreme Court's instructions within the existing timeline is challenging. Additional time may be required," he said.
Earlier, the EC had set February 7 as the last date for hearings and February 14 for publishing the final rolls, after granting an initial extension. The schedule has come under scrutiny after a petition by the Trinamool Congress, which raised concerns about transparency and irregularities during the SIR.
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