West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging serious irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state and accusing certain officials of manipulating data with “ulterior motives.”
In her letter, sent two days ahead of her scheduled meeting with the CEC on Monday, Banerjee claimed that some observers were acting beyond their mandate and that their actions amounted to a “backdoor mechanism for the exclusion and disenfranchisement of a large number of eligible electors.” She said such steps were “wholly against our democratic ethos, federalism and fundamental rights.”
Raising concerns over the role and authority of Special Roll Observers (SROs) and Micro-Observers (MOs), the Chief Minister alleged that “some observers are functioning from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, and have taken control of the ECI portal without any legal authority.” According to her, they were “allegedly manipulating data to subvert the roll revision process with ulterior motives.”
Banerjee described the deployment of nearly 8,100 Micro-Observers in West Bengal as unprecedented, calling it “for the first time in the electoral history of India.” She claimed the appointments were made “unilaterally” and without adequate training or expertise for what she termed a “specialised, sensitive and quasi-judicial exercise.”
The letter also pointed to the appointment of four IAS officers from the Tripura cadre as observers on January 10, 2026, along with five observers from the Centre and twelve from West Bengal. Banerjee questioned whether these observers were legally empowered to act as approving authorities or whether they were meant only to supervise and assist statutory officials.
She asked whether Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) were being “rendered helpless, isolated and reduced to mere spectators in the face of illegal, unauthorised and unwarranted actions by such non-statutory authorities.”
Banerjee argued that the role and powers of Micro-Observers during electoral roll revision are not provided for under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, or any other statutory framework. She stressed that these laws “exclusively vest the statutory responsibility” of maintaining electoral rolls and deciding on inclusion or deletion of names with EROs and AEROs.
Calling the developments “deeply disturbing,” the Chief Minister alleged that electoral roll revision procedures in West Bengal differed sharply from those followed in other states. “It appears that an entirely different set of rules is being applied” in the state, she said, describing the situation as “contrary to statutory provisions and for reasons that remain inexplicable.”
She further alleged that variations in hearing procedures, document admissibility, and backend verification during the SIR process in West Bengal raised “grave concerns regarding the credibility and integrity” of the exercise.
Seeking immediate corrective action, Banerjee urged the Election Commission to intervene to “restore public faith in our constitutional framework and democratic processes” and to ensure the protection of citizens’ dignity and rights.
