Mamata Banerjee to Take SIR Complaint to Delhi, Meeting with CEC Gyanesh Kumar on February 2

Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to bring the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) dispute to the national stage. She will meet the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at the Election House in Delhi on February 2, accompanied by a Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation. The meeting comes amid escalating tensions over the SIR process in West Bengal, which the TMC alleges is being conducted in a biased manner favoring the BJP.

The SIR controversy erupted after the TMC claimed that approximately 1.5 crore voters in West Bengal had discrepancies in their documents or were not linked with the 2002 voter list. Mamata Banerjee had earlier accused the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise voters, particularly the elderly and persons with disabilities, under the pretext of SIR verification. The TMC also alleged that the process was being used as a tool to implement an NRC-like exercise in Bengal, targeting minority and vulnerable communities.

Mamata Banerjee has previously written to the CEC, raising objections over the SIR methodology. Following TMC petitions, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to publish a list of software errors, highlighting alleged procedural flaws. The TMC contends that even minor inconsistencies in voter details are being exploited to summon citizens, causing unnecessary distress.

The SIR issue has intensified political competition in West Bengal, where the BJP and TMC are gearing up for the assembly elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently held a rally in Singur, prompting Mamata Banerjee to address a counter-rally at the same venue. She pledged simultaneous development of agriculture and industry in Singur, with plans for Amazon and Flipkart warehouses and a private industrial park, aiming to generate thousands of jobs.

The February 2 meeting with the CEC is expected to be a key moment in addressing TMC’s grievances regarding voter rights and the integrity of the SIR process in West Bengal.