West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made an urgent appeal to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, calling for an immediate suspension of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the state. In a strongly-worded letter dated November 20, 2025, the Chief Minister demanded a thorough reassessment of the entire process, citing systemic flaws and chaotic implementation that threaten the integrity of the electoral roll.
Allegations of BLO Intimidation and Coercion
Banerjee leveled serious allegations against the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, accusing it of resorting to intimidation tactics against Booth Level Officers (BLOs). She claimed that many BLOs, under extreme pressure and fear of punitive action, are being compelled to submit incorrect or incomplete entries. This, she warned, could lead to the disenfranchisement of genuine voters and significantly erode public trust in the electoral process.
The Chief Minister criticized the Commission for issuing show-cause notices to BLOs without proper justification. Instead of offering support or extending deadlines to address the practical challenges on the ground, the administration is allegedly threatening these officials with severe disciplinary action. Banerjee described the BLOs as already stretched and distressed, struggling to manage their principal duties while conducting the complex SIR exercise.
Structural Flaws and Human Cost
Banerjee detailed what she termed as the complete absence of basic preparedness in the SIR process. She highlighted critical gaps in training, lack of clarity on mandatory documentation requirements, and the practical difficulty of meeting voters during their livelihood schedules. The Chief Minister emphasized that BLOs, many of whom are teachers and frontline workers, are now operating far beyond human limits.
The human cost of this mismanagement has become unbearable, according to Banerjee. She referenced the tragic suicide of an anganwadi worker serving as a BLO in Mal, Jalpaiguri, who reportedly took her life under crushing SIR-related pressure. The Chief Minister noted that several other officials have lost their lives since the process began, describing the compression of a three-year revision process into just three months as fundamentally flawed.
Urgent Call for Intervention
In her concluding remarks, Banerjee made a passionate plea to CEC Gyanesh Kumar for decisive intervention. She urged him to immediately halt the ongoing exercise, stop all coercive measures against BLOs, and provide proper training and technical support to the officials involved. The Chief Minister warned that if the current path is not corrected without delay, the consequences for the electoral system, government officials, and citizens would be irreversible.
Banerjee expressed particular concern about the December 4 deadline for data upload, stating that maintaining required accuracy appears almost impossible given the current circumstances. She praised the dedication of BLOs while condemning the unrealistic workload and inadequate support system that has pushed them to their breaking point.
