Escalating her attack on the Election Commission ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a strongly worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging a “coordinated attempt” to manipulate the state’s electoral rolls by including non-residents.
In the letter dated March 31, Banerjee raised serious concerns over the alleged use of Form 6 applications to induct “outsiders” into West Bengal’s voter list. She claimed that such actions, if proven, would be “illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic”, and would strike at the very core of electoral integrity.
According to the Chief Minister, “large numbers” of Form 6 applications are being submitted, allegedly by BJP agents, not as part of routine voter inclusion but as a “mischievous ploy” to enrol individuals with no genuine connection to the state. She warned that this could amount to deliberate interference in the democratic process.
Banerjee underscored the gravity of the issue in her communication, writing that it is “very concerning” that a constitutional body like the Election Commission could be seen as “undermining the democratic and fundamental rights of the people of West Bengal.”
The Chief Minister also linked the latest allegations to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a process she has repeatedly criticised. Referring to the revision exercise, she claimed that “millions” have been affected, with many pushed to the brink of disenfranchisement. In a stark assertion, she noted that over 200 deaths have been reported in connection with the process, raising questions about its human cost and implementation.
In her letter, Banerjee further pointed out that nearly 30,000 applications for inclusion in the voter list have reportedly been received by the Chief Electoral Officer during an ongoing adjudication process mandated by the Supreme Court. She argued that allowing these applications to be processed administratively—without proper scrutiny, notice, or participation of political stakeholders—would be “wholly unreasonable” and beyond the scope of judicial directions.
Quoting the Supreme Court’s earlier observations on ensuring fairness and transparency in voter list adjudication, the Chief Minister stressed that any inclusion or deletion must follow due process. She warned that bypassing this mechanism would violate both the court’s directive and the statutory framework governing elections.
Banerjee also objected to administrative orders allowing additions (via Form 6) and transfers (via Form 8) up to the last day of nomination, calling the move “absolutely illegal and unfair”. She argued that such provisions could open the door to large-scale manipulation of the electoral rolls at a critical stage of the election cycle.
Reiterating her concerns, she urged the Election Commission to immediately reject questionable inclusion applications and ensure that the final electoral roll—published on February 28, 2026—remains unaffected by what she described as irregular and potentially unlawful interventions.
This latest letter adds to a series of communications from the Chief Minister to the Election Commission over the past few months, in which she has repeatedly alleged irregularities in the SIR process. She has earlier described aspects of the exercise as “arbitrary” and warned of “disenfranchisement” of genuine voters, intensifying the ongoing confrontation between the state government and the poll body.
With West Bengal heading into a high-stakes electoral contest, CM Banerjee’s fresh allegations are likely to further sharpen the political discourse around voter roll integrity, transparency, and the role of constitutional institutions in the run-up to the polls.
