Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Jan 4: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising serious concerns over what she described as widespread procedural violations, administrative lapses and lack of planning in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
In her letter, Banerjee termed the exercise “unplanned, arbitrary and ad hoc”, warning that if allowed to continue in its present form, it could lead to large-scale disenfranchisement of eligible voters and cause irreparable damage to the democratic process. She urged the Election Commission to immediately rectify the flaws and glitches, failing which the revision exercise should be halted.
The chief minister said she was constrained to write again as the situation had worsened despite her earlier communications. Expressing apprehension, she stated that the manner in which the SIR was being carried out posed a direct threat to the foundational principles of democratic governance.
Referring to her earlier letters in November, Banerjee said she had repeatedly flagged her concerns, describing the process as chaotic and dangerous. She alleged that the exercise was being conducted without adequate groundwork, proper training of booth-level officers (BLOs) or clear communication regarding procedures and documentation.
Banerjee also highlighted the pressure being faced by BLOs, many of whom are teachers and frontline workers, claiming they were being forced to work beyond reasonable limits. She warned that server failures, data mismatches and technical glitches were severely hampering online submissions, making it unlikely that accurate voter data could be uploaded within the stipulated deadlines.
According to the chief minister, the fear of punitive action was pushing officials to submit incorrect entries, which could result in genuine voters being wrongly excluded from the electoral rolls. She further noted that the difficulty in reaching voters during working hours had compounded the problem.
The Election Commission is yet to issue a response to Banerjee’s latest letter.