New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar urging that the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state be immediately halted and that he “thoroughly reassess the present methodology and timelines”.

In her letter, Banerjee alleged that booth-level officers (BLOs) have not been provided adequate training, support and time, while West Bengal's chief electoral officer (CEO) instead of providing support has resorted to “intimidation”, with BLOs being threatened with disciplinary action and show-cause notices being issued.

Banerjee said that BLOs have been burdened with an “unrealistic workload, impossible timelines and inadequate support with online data entry”. She said that this has put the entire process and its credibility at severe risk, which “strikes at the heart of our electoral democracy”.

“Instead of offering support, extending timelines or addressing systemic flaws, the office of CEO West Bengal has resorted to intimidation. Showcause notices are being issued without justification. BLOs – already stretched and distressed – are being threatened with severe disciplinary action simply because the Commission refuses to acknowledge the reality on the ground.”

Banerjee also pointed to the death of an anganwadi worker serving as a BLO in Jalpaiguri, allegedly by suicide under SIR-related pressure, and said that the “human cost of this mismanagement is now unbearable”.

Earlier this month, another anganwadi worker died of a cerebral attack allegedly triggered by SIR work pressure in East Burdwan, the New Indian Express reported.

In October a 57-year-old resident of the Kolkata-adjacent Panihati allegedly died by suicide, fewer than 24 hours after the Election Commission announced the exercise.

“A revision that previously required three years is now being forcibly compressed into three months, subjecting BLOs and officials to inhuman working conditions and forcing common people under the shadow of fear and uncertainty,” said Banerjee in her letter.

Banerjee said that the exercise must be immediately halted and corrective action taken as continuing this “unplanned, coercive drive not only endangers more lives but also jeopardises the legitimacy of the electoral revision itself”.

CPI(M) too questions pressure on BLOs

The CPI(M) has also raised serious objections about the SIR process. In a letter to the CEO, the party criticised the EC’s decision allowing Booth Level Agents (BLAs) linked to political parties to submit up to 50 forms a day, amounting to 600 over the remaining 12 days, arguing that the move compromises the neutrality of the verification process. The party cited allegations of misappropriation of forms meant for deceased or shifted voters and reports of election officials seeking permission to upload forms themselves.

“The ECI has faltered from planning to execution. Those performing these duties are not full-time employees. Therefore, let the SIR process continue, but the pressure on BLOs must be reduced. The work must be done flawlessly and accurately,” said CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim.

In his letter to the Commission, he has urged the Commission to cap daily uploads at 50 forms to ensure work is done “accurately and impartially”.

Across districts, many of the state’s 81,000 BLOs have said they are overwhelmed by workload, technical difficulties and political pressure. Since November 4, BLOs have been receiving continuous calls on their personal numbers as they distribute and collect enumeration forms and upload data.

“Many people call unnecessarily and harass us. Police complaints have not helped,” a woman BLO from Jalpaiguri’s Kranti area told The Wire. “Informing the police did not help. We cannot ignore the calls either. If the government had given us separate phone numbers, we women would have felt safer.”

The Election Commission has not yet issued a formal response to the chief minister’s letter or the objections raised by opposition parties.

BJP, Congress dismiss Banerjee's letter

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed Banerjee’s concerns as a cover-up.

BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya questioned her argument, asking, “In no other state in the country are BLOs dying by suicide. Why only in West Bengal? Because Mamata Banerjee is asking them to add fake voters.”

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that there is a “nexus” between the state administration and the ruling party, claiming district magistrates, who also serve as district election officers, were acting as “election agents of Trinamool”, pressuring BLOs to share OTPs with ruling party operators.

Former Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused Banerjee of shifting positions on the SIR.

“Who started talking about SIR? Mamata Banerjee,” he told The Wire. “West Bengal is where elections are looted. Trinamool is the party that turns the living into the dead and the dead into the living. Now, when questions are being raised, she writes a letter to protest.”

Translated from Bengali by Aparna Bhattacharya.

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