West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a fierce attack on the Election Commission of India, demanding an immediate stop to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. In a strongly worded three-page letter sent to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday, Banerjee described the exercise as "chaotic, coercive, and dangerous" and warned of irreversible consequences if it continues.
Escalating Confrontation Over Electoral Process
The Chief Minister stated she has repeatedly raised concerns about the SIR but felt "compelled to write" as the situation has reached a "deeply alarming stage." She accused the Election Commission of thrusting the revision process upon officials and citizens without proper preparation, planning, or clear communication channels. According to Banerjee, critical gaps in training, confusion over mandatory documents, and the practical impossibility of Booth Level Officers meeting voters during working hours have rendered the entire exercise "structurally unsound from day one."
Human Cost and Administrative Breakdown
Banerjee painted a grim picture of the human toll the SIR has taken on government officials, particularly teachers and frontline workers serving as Booth Level Officers. "They are expected to manage their principal duties while simultaneously conducting door-to-door surveys and handling complex e-submissions," she wrote, describing working conditions that stretch personnel "far beyond human limits."
The consequences have been severe, with Banerjee revealing that an anganwadi worker serving as a BLO in Jalpaiguri district's Mal area died by suicide reportedly under "crushing SIR-related pressure." She added that several others have lost their lives since the process began, making the human cost "now unbearable."
Threat to Electoral Integrity and Agricultural Concerns
The Chief Minister warned that under extreme pressure and fear of punitive action, many BLOs were being pushed into filing incorrect or incomplete entries. This risks disenfranchising genuine voters and "eroding the integrity of the electoral roll itself." She predicted that at the current pace, voter data across multiple constituencies cannot be uploaded with required accuracy by the December 4 deadline.
Compounding the problem is the timing of the exercise, which coincides with peak paddy harvest and Rabi sowing season in Bengal. "Millions of farmers and labourers are engaged in essential agricultural work and cannot be expected to abandon the fields to participate in SIR enumeration," Banerjee emphasized, particularly noting the time-sensitive nature of potato cultivation.
Election Commission's Response and Current Status
Rather than providing support, Banerjee accused the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer in West Bengal of issuing show-cause notices "without justification" and threatening already strained BLOs with disciplinary action. She described this as intimidation rather than constructive response to ground realities.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission reported that distribution of enumeration forms under the SIR across nine states and three Union Territories is nearly complete, with 98.89% of 50.97 crore electors receiving the partially filled documents. In West Bengal specifically, from the state's 7.66 crore electors, 7.64 crore forms have been distributed accounting for 99.72%, with digitization completed for 1.48 crore forms.
The political temperature around what was once a routine administrative exercise continues to climb, with Phase II of the SIR exercise beginning on November 4 and scheduled to continue until December 4. The Election Commission has yet to respond to the Chief Minister's latest salvo in this escalating confrontation over electoral preparations in West Bengal.
