Misleading, politically motivated...: BJP questions Mamata Banerjee’s allegations in letter to EC amid SIR row

Kolkata: The BJP on Thursday strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s letter to the Election Commission (EC), calling her allegations about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls "misleading, politically motivated and factually distorted.” Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused Banerjee of attempting to undermine the constitutional mandate of the EC while protecting what he described as the TMC’s "vote-bank of ineligible and illegal elements.”

Calling the SIR a routine, time-tested mechanism carried out periodically since Independence, Adhikari highlighted that West Bengal last underwent a similar revision in 2002. He added that the current exercise is necessary to address alleged large-scale voter fraud under TMC rule and that he has submitted data of over 13 lakh "dubious” names, ranging from deceased individuals to duplicate entries, to the

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, meanwhile, wrote a strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on November 20, alleging "dangerous, unplanned and coercive” implementation of the ongoing SIR. She sought the EC’s "immediate corrective action”, warning that the current process threatens both officials’ wellbeing and the legitimacy of the revision exercise.

Banerjee described the SIR as having reached an "alarming stage”, citing inadequate training, server failures, unrealistic timelines and pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), many of whom are teachers or frontline workers already stretched thin. She highlighted the recent death of an anganwadi worker serving as a BLO in Jalpaiguri, who allegedly died by suicide owing to "crushing SIR-related pressure”, and noted that several other workers have reportedly lost their lives since the start of the process.

The Chief Minister warned that many constituencies risk failing to upload accurate voter data by the December 4 deadline, potentially disenfranchising citizens and eroding the integrity of the electoral roll. She also accused the CEO’s office of issuing unjustified show-cause notices and intimidating BLOs instead of addressing systemic failures.

Adhikari, however, dismissed these claims, alleging that the SIR has triggered a mass exodus of illegal immigrants from the state, many carrying forged Indian documents allegedly facilitated by TMC leaders. He accused Banerjee of running a "smear campaign” against the EC and intimidating BLOs to defy central directives.

The SIR exercise, intended to update and cleanse voter lists ahead of upcoming elections, has now become the centre of an escalating confrontation between the state government and the opposition.