West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a sharp critique against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, labelling it a tool for voter exclusion rather than a corrective measure. In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Friday, January 10, 2026, the Trinamool Congress supremo highlighted widespread public distress.
Allegations of Coercion and Harassment
Banerjee's central accusation is that the SIR process has deviated from its intended purpose. She contends that the exercise is now being used to coercively remove legitimate voters from the electoral list instead of merely correcting inaccuracies. The CM pointed to instances where citizens are being summoned for hearings over trivial discrepancies.
According to her letter, minor issues such as slight variations in spelling or small differences in recorded age are being weaponised. Ordinary people, including daily wage labourers, are being forced to attend multiple hearings, leading to significant harassment and loss of livelihood. This process, she argues, disproportionately affects the poor and marginalised sections of society who cannot afford to miss work or navigate bureaucratic hurdles.
The Core Grievance: A Flawed Process
The Chief Minister's communication underscores a fundamental flaw in the implementation of the SIR. The revision drive, meant to ensure clean and accurate voter lists, is allegedly creating barriers to democratic participation. Banerjee emphasised that the current approach is causing unnecessary anxiety and inconvenience for countless genuine voters across West Bengal.
Her letter implies that the stringent scrutiny of minor details, which often arise from clerical errors during initial registration, is not in the spirit of democratic inclusion. The demand for repeated physical appearances for rectification, without considering the socio-economic cost to the voter, forms the crux of her complaint to the Election Commission of India.
Call for Immediate Intervention
Mamata Banerjee's letter to the CEC is a direct call for intervention and course correction. She has urged the poll body to review the SIR process immediately and issue necessary directives to prevent the harassment of common citizens. The TMC chief's move is seen as a political escalation ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, positioning her party as the defender of voters' rights against an allegedly overzealous administrative exercise.
The development, reported by PTI on January 10, 2026, adds to the ongoing political discourse around electoral integrity and accessibility. The response from the Election Commission to these serious allegations is now keenly awaited.
