Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday addressed the growing concerns over the potential implementation of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, stating that the Election Commission of India (ECI) would make a decision on the matter at an "appropriate time." The statement comes amid fierce opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has labeled the process as a covert attempt to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and vowed to resist any such exercise ahead of the state's 2026 assembly elections. Kumar’s statement came as a response to a question from a journalist during the ECI press conference, who pointedly asked as when will ECI start SIR in West Bengal, much in the lines of their Bihar exercise.
“We three (election) commissioners will decide at an appropriate time and take a decision on when to conduct SIR in West Bengal or other states,” Gyanesh Kumar said. “It will be announced at an appropriate time”, Kumar said. West Bengal's last SIR was conducted in 2002, covering only parts of the state, with archival data recently made public by the ECI in July.
Mamata Banerjee has been vocal in her criticism, describing SIR as a "backdoor attempt" to enforce the NRC, which she fears could disenfranchise legitimate voters. “BJP cant defeat us thus they are trying to use this road to manipulate elections and win Bengal”, Banerjee had said during her July 21 rally, urging people to stay alert and revolt.
During an administrative meeting in Birbhum district earlier this month, Banerjee directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) - who are state government employees to prevent any undue harassment of voters and ensure no names are arbitrarily removed from the rolls. "The ECI takes over only after the poll dates are announced. Until then, and even after that, the administration lies with the state government. You are employees of the state government. Do not harass any individual needlessly," she emphasised.
Further in the showdown, the ECI had on August 5 directed the State government to suspend five officials in connection with alleged fraudulent registration of 127 voters using forged documents in the Baruipur Purba and Moyna Assembly constituencies. The state decided not to suspend them but two amongst the fiver were withdrawn from the poll duties.
The press conference by ECI on Sunday was convened against the backdrop of escalating political tensions surrounding voter list revisions. It followed the ECI's compliance with a Supreme Court directive to publish a list of approximately 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar's draft electoral roll during its ongoing SIR exercise. The press conference comes in response to allegations from opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who accused the ECI of facilitating "vote chori" (vote theft) through targeted deletions, particularly affecting marginalised communities in poll-bound Bihar. Rahul Gandhi, recently had unveiled documents what he claimed was the outcome of their six months of researched that confirmed vote manipulation to favour Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in state assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Dismissing claims of electoral manipulation as "baseless" and an "insult to the Indian Constitution," he highlighted the transparency of the process, which involved over 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents nominated by political parties, verification of claims and objections, and video testimonials from voters. "It is an insult to the Indian Constitution if election petitions are not filed within 45 days but allegations of ‘vote chori’ are raised publicly," Kumar stated, adding that the commission stands "like a rock" with voters from all sections of society and is open to addressing genuine concerns from any party. He clarified that deletions in Bihar targeted only ineligible entries, such as duplicates, deceased individuals, or those who had relocated, and urged parties to submit complaints on the draft list before its finalisation on September 1.
