A high-level delegation from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress confronted the Election Commission of India on Friday, delivering a sharp critique of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The 10-member team of TMC MPs met with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, challenging the very foundation of the voter verification exercise.
Blood on Their Hands: TMC's Grave Allegation
Following the meeting, TMC MP Derek O'Brien made a startling declaration. "We first handed over to him a list of almost 40 dead because of the SIR process," O'Brien stated. "We started the meeting by telling him that Mr. Kumar and the Election Commission of India have blood on their hands." The delegation included prominent parliamentarians Dola Sena, Saket Gokhale, Mamata Thakur, and Mahua Moitra.
The party's memorandum posed fundamental questions about the revision's purpose. "Is the SIR intended to verify voters—or to question Bengalis' identity?" the document questioned. TMC highlighted what they see as selective implementation, noting that while West Bengal undergoes this intensive process, other border states like Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar remain exempt.
Questioning the Timing and Methodology
TMC raised significant concerns about the timing and rationale behind the Special Intensive Revision. The party pointed out that the same electoral rolls currently under scrutiny were successfully used during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and three major Assembly Elections since. Their memorandum challenged: "How did those rolls suddenly become 'unreliable' within a year? And if the rolls really are unreliable then why not dissolve the Lok Sabha that was elected by these 'unreliable voters'?"
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw the Bharatiya Janata Party return to power with 240 seats, while in West Bengal, the TMC emerged victorious with 29 of the state's 42 parliamentary constituencies.
Human Cost of Electoral Revision
A central focus of TMC's complaint was the tragic human cost of the SIR exercise. The delegation reported that approximately 40 Booth Level Officers in West Bengal have lost their lives during the revision process. They described systemic failures including inadequate training, unrealistic deadlines, and overwhelming pressure on ground-level staff.
"In several cases BLOs have been forced to commit suicide citing the inhuman pressure by the ECI," the party alleged. They questioned who would take responsibility for these deaths—the Election Commission or Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar personally.
Allegations of Partisan Implementation
TMC accused the Election Commission of displaying clear bias in its operations. The party claimed the ECI responds swiftly to concerns raised by the BJP while ignoring opposition complaints. "When the BJP raises a frivolous issue, it is taken up with utmost priority," they stated, suggesting this "reeks of bias and partisan practice."
The delegation also pointed to evolving electoral procedures in other states, particularly mentioning changes in Bihar's Model Code of Conduct that they believe benefited the BJP. They noted that BJP leaders in Bengal are claiming approximately one crore voters' names will be deleted from rolls, while the ECI has taken no action to counter what TMC calls "fear mongering."
Current Status of SIR in Bengal
The Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal commenced on November 4, 2025, with enumeration forms being distributed to voters across the state. As of late November, roughly 3.8 crore out of 7.6 crore voters' forms have been digitized, representing about 49.3% of the total.
The form submission and digitization process is scheduled to continue until December 4, 2025. The draft electoral rolls are expected to be published on December 9, 2025, with the final voter list due on February 7, 2026.
The confrontation represents a significant escalation in tensions between West Bengal's ruling party and the national election body, with implications for the state's democratic processes and the credibility of its voter registration system.
