West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday expressed concerns regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, warning that the contraversial exercise could cause "mass disenfranchisement" and "irreparable damage" to India's democratic foundations.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the CM expressed "grave concern" over alleged irregularities, procedural violations and administrative lapses in the conduct of the SIR in the state, asserting that the process had been undertaken in an "unplanned, ill-prepared and ad hoc manner."
"The SIR process is deeply compromised and strikes at the basic structural framework of our democracy and the spirit of the Constitution," Banerjee wrote in the letter dated December 3.
The CM alleged that the "undue haste" and "lack of adequate groundwork" had resulted in serious defects, including faulty IT systems, inconsistent instructions and inadequate training of officials entrusted with the exercise.
"Collectively, these deficiencies have reduced this vital democratic exercise to a farce and have severely eroded public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process," she alleged in her letter.
"If allowed to continue in its present form, the SIR will cause irreparable damage, mass disenfranchisement of voters and assault democratic foundations," she wrote.
"Although the exercise is described as time-bound, there are no clearly defined, transparent, or uniformly applicable timelines. Different states are following different criteria, and timelines are being altered arbitrarily, reflecting a glaring lack of clarity, preparedness, and procedural understanding. Shockingly, critical instructions are being issued almost on a daily basis, frequently through informal channels such as WhatsApp messages and text messages," Banerjee wrote in the four-page letter.
The chief minister urged the Election Commission to carry out immediate corrective measures, failing which, she said, the "arbitrary and unplanned exercise must be halted."
She also made strong objections against the process of holding SIR hearings where electors are summoned without showing them any specific reasons, subjecting them to "needless anxiety and harassment".
"Even elderly, infirm, and seriously ill citizens are not being spared. Many electors are being compelled to travel distances of 20-25 kilometres to attend hearings, which have inexplicably been centralised rather than decentralised. This has caused severe hardship to ordinary citizens," she stated.
Banerjee also flagged the denial of booth-level agents (BLAs) during the hearing process, stating that it raised "serious questions about the fairness, transparency and credibility" of the SIR.
Holding the poll panel responsible for the conduct of the exercise, Banerjee said the Election Commission of India must be "held fully accountable for any illegal, arbitrary or biased actions carried out under its supervision or direction."
Banerjee had earlier slammed the SIR as a huge "scam" being conducted with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and alleged that poor people are being "tortured" in the name of the exercise.
More than 58 lakh voters were deleted from the draft rolls published on December 16, after the initial phase of SIR in the state. Out of the 7.6 crore total voters, the EC has also raised speculation regarding the "genuineness" of about 1.66 crore voters, who have been called for hearing to verify their documents again.
In a letter to the West Bengal CEO, the WBCS (Executive) Officers' Association has raised objections to what it termed "suo-motu system-driven deletion" of voters in the draft electoral rolls, bypassing the statutory role of electoral registration officers (ERO).
(With inputs from PTI)
