Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 31 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising serious concerns over the conduct of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state.
In her letter, Banerjee stated that four IAS officers from the Tripura cadre were appointed as Observers through a letter dated January 10, 2026, in addition to five observers from the Centre and twelve from West Bengal.
She alleged that some of these observers are functioning from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, and have taken control of the Election Commission of India (ECI) portal without any legal authority. According to her, data is allegedly being manipulated to subvert the roll revision process with ulterior motives, leading to the exclusion and disenfranchisement of a large number of eligible electors.
The Chief Minister further claimed that for the first time in India’s electoral history, the ECI has deployed around 8,100 Micro-Observers during the ongoing SIR process in West Bengal. She alleged that these Micro-Observers have been unilaterally engaged by the ECI without adequate training or demonstrated expertise for what she described as a “specialised, sensitive and quasi-judicial exercise.”
“This raises serious questions,” the letter stated. “Are these micro-observers and observers empowered under the statute to act as approving authorities, or are they merely mandated to oversee the process and guide and assist the statutory authorities?”
Banerjee questioned whether Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) were being rendered helpless and reduced to mere spectators due to what she described as illegal, unauthorised and unwarranted actions by non-statutory authorities, allegedly designed by the ECI.
“These developments raise grave concerns regarding the credibility and integrity of the SIR and warrant immediate investigation,” the letter added.
Referring to the ongoing SIR process, the Chief Minister also alleged that the manner of hearings and disposal of logical discrepancy cases, the deployment of micro-observers and observers for back-end verification, and the admissibility of documents such as family registers and domicile certificates in West Bengal were starkly different from practices followed in other states.
“It is deeply disturbing that an exercise governed by a uniform Act and Rules applicable across the country is being implemented differently across states, instead of ensuring consistency in process, procedure and methodology,” Banerjee said.
She further alleged that an entirely different set of rules appeared to be applied in West Bengal, contrary to statutory provisions and for reasons that remain unexplained. (ANI)
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