The West Bengal government and the Election Commission lock horns over Special Intensive Revision preparations.
Kolkata: The simmering tension between the West Bengal Government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) has erupted into a full-scale confrontation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the State’s electoral rolls, casting a shadow over preparations for the 2026 Assembly elections.
With both sides issuing conflicting statements and escalating political rhetoric, the dispute has reached a critical juncture, threatening the integrity and timeliness of the voter list update process—the first major revision in more than two decades.
The clash intensified on Friday when the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, led by senior IAS officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, informed the ECI that the State is fully prepared to commence the SIR, a comprehensive exercise to update electoral rolls.
This followed the ECI’s directive to all Chief Electoral Officers to complete recruitment and training of key personnel, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLO Supervisors, and Booth Level Agents (BLAs), as outlined in a letter issued last month.
The CEO’s office substantiated its claim with detailed preparation reports from all 23 districts, confirming logistical readiness.
To align with the ECI’s new guideline limiting polling booths to 1,200 voters, West Bengal has increased its polling stations from 80,680 to over 94,000, with updated lists already shared with political parties.
However, within hours, the State secretariat Nabanna threw a spanner into the plan, with Home Secretary Nandini Chakravarty penning a letter to the CEO asserting that the Government is not prepared to undertake the SIR.
The letter criticized the lack of “consultation or prior intimation” from the CEO’s office, demanding clarification on media reports claiming readiness.
Enclosing newspaper clippings, Chakravarty sought to dispel what the State perceives as misinformation, escalating the administrative rift.
This move came as the TMC-led Government moved the Supreme Court, where a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi may hear the matter next week, seeking a formal hearing on the SIR’s implications, especially after challenging its execution in Bihar.
Over the past few weeks, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been vocal in her opposition, framing the SIR as a BJP-orchestrated conspiracy to exclude Bengali-speaking voters, and taking on the poll panel at any given opportunity.
Following the ECI’s directive to suspend four officials — two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) Debottam Dutta Choudhury and Biplab Sarkar, and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) Tathagata Mondal and Sudipta Das — along with a data entry operator, for alleged irregularities in preparing rolls for Baruipur Purba and Moyna constituencies, Mamata Banerjee adopted a defiant tone.
Addressing a public meeting in Jhargram on Tuesday, the Chief Minister questioned the ECI’s jurisdiction, stating: “We will not suspend them… I will continue to be your paharadar (guard).” Mamata Banerjee promised to protect her State officials and labelled the ECI as “the bonded labourers” of the BJP, and accused it of intimidating State officials.
The ECI struck back immediately.
In a notice to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, it set a deadline of 3:00 PM on August 11 to execute the suspensions, lodge FIRs, and submit a compliance report, citing the State’s inaction on its earlier order. The deadline of August 11 has added urgency, with potential noncompliance risking further escalation, maybe even against the Chief Secretary.
Mamata Banerjee’s defiance was echoed by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who returned from Delhi on Friday and accused the ECI of bowing to BJP pressure.
“We will gherao the ECI’s office if a single elector’s name is omitted from the voter list,” he warned, hinting at potential protests.
The TMC’s narrative gained traction amid allegations of bogus voter entries, with a preliminary probe suggesting negligence by the suspended officers.
The SIR process, initiated after Bihar’s revision where 65 lakh voters’ names were deleted, involves door-to-door verification by electoral officials, including District Magistrates and BLOs. Voters must submit verification forms and documents, with exceptions for those listed in the 2002 SIR or their guardians.
New voters and migrants face stricter requirements, including identity and citizenship proofs, manageable via an online platform. Political parties, including booth-level representatives, will assist, ensuring broad oversight.
The West Bengal CEO’s upload of 2002 SIR data for most Assembly segments — excluding North 24 Parganas and Kulpi — showed the poll panel’s readiness.
The political fallout has been swift.
A BJP delegation, led by State president Shamik Bhattacharya, met ECI officials in New Delhi on Thursday, submitting a complaint alleging Mamata Banerjee was obstructing a free and fair electoral process.
This follows the ECI’s rejection of the State’s proposed panel for key CEO posts — Additional CEO, Deputy CEO, and Joint CEO — due to the candidates’ lack of election experience. The poll panel had sought three names for each of the above posts. However, it rejected all the nine names proposed by the West Bengal Government.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission formally communicated its objections to the State Government via a letter, instructing it to quickly submit a fresh panel comprising candidates with relevant qualifications and practical experience in election duties.
“This delay in appointments comes at a critical time. With the Assembly elections nearing, filling of these electoral posts is crucial to ensure the smooth conduct of polls. The rejection of the names has added administrative pressure on the state government, which must now swiftly identify and recommend new candidates,” said a bureaucrat in Mamata Banerjee’s Government.
Governor C. V. Ananda Bose attempted to mediate, stating: “Both the State and the EC are mature constitutional bodies… SIR is a routine exercise.”
However, the escalating rhetoric suggests irreconcilable differences.
The TMC’s Supreme Court plea and the ECI’s firm deadline underscore the intensity of the legal and political tug-of-war. With West Bengal’s 7.3 crore voters at stake, the spat risks undermining the revision’s credibility.
Senior political commentator Suman Chattopadhyay told The Sunday Guardian, “The dispute between Mamata Banerjee and the Election Commission is due to their differing priorities. The Commission aims to ensure electoral integrity through a rigorous update, while the TMC does not want it. It knows how much it has padded up the voter list. So, it wants to avoid any scrutiny. Therefore, Mamata is keen to paint it a threat to its voter base, particularly Bengali-speaking communities.”
