New Delhi: In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar Monday, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that her call to halt the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state was “nothing short of an admission of defeat”.
Mamata, in a letter to Kumar dated 3 January, had placed on record her “grave concern regarding the serious irregularities, procedural violations, and administrative lapses being witnessed” during the ongoing SIR. She, therefore, urged the commission to halt the exercise, and immediately address and rectify the glitches, address flaws and make the necessary corrections.
“If allowed to continue in its present form, it will result in irreparable damage, large-scale disenfranchisement of eligible voters, and a direct assault on the foundational principles of democratic governance,” her letter stated.
In response, Adhikari, West Bengal Leader of Opposition, has asserted that Mamata’s “outrage stems from the counterfactual reality: the SIR is proving devastatingly counterproductive to her party’s prospects in the upcoming 2026 assembly elections, as it lays bare the ‘extras’, fictitious voters, ghosts of the deceased, and illegal infiltrators; that her administration and party cadres have systematically shielded and thrived upon”.
He alleges that Mamata’s own administration and party (Trinamool Congress) machinery have colluded to sabotage the SIR, referring to the case of Electoral Roll Observer C. Murugan, whose vehicle was damaged late December after an agitating crowd gheraoed the poll official during his visit to an SIR hearing centre at Magrahat in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Adhikari addresses several of Mamata’s allegations.
The CM had written that the undue haste with which the SIR was being conducted, without adequate groundwork or preparation, had “rendered the entire process fundamentally flawed”.
She also flagged that different states are following “different criteria, and timelines are being altered arbitrarily, reflecting a glaring lack of clarity, preparedness, and procedural understanding”.
She also referred to allegations regarding backend deletion of electors through the misuse of IT systems, without following due process and without the knowledge or approval of the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
Mamata’s letter said that migrant workers, as well as elderly, infirm and seriously ill citizens were being called for hearings. It further highlighted the differences between the procedure adopted and documents accepted in Bihar, as against those accepted in West Bengal— pointing out that the family register was being denied as proof of identity, and so were permanent residence certificates/domicile certificates issued by various state authorities.
Adhikari in his letter termed the CM’s assertions of backend deletions “inflammatory fiction”. He also justified the exclusion of party-appointed Booth Level Agents from hearings, saying that this was a “must to preserve neutrality during sensitive verifications, preventing cadre-led disruptions that have marred past exercises under TMC watch”.
He termed the claims of hardship to the elderly or infirm as “only rarest happenings and basically exaggerated propaganda”.
Therefore, in contrast with Mamata’s demand, he implored the ECI to continue with the SIR “undaunted, fortified by the unwavering support of the democratic masses”.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)