Abhishek questions EC’s silence on CM’s letters, alleges ‘opaqueness in SIR process’

Delhi/Kolkata: Amid mounting political temperature ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI), on its conduct over the alleged lack of response to the six letters written by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and raising serious concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states, including West Bengal.

Addressing a Press meet in Delhi alongside Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek said that the Chief Minister, a three-time elected head of the state, had written six letters to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on issues related to the electoral process, none of which had been acknowledged or replied to.

Referring to recent remarks attributed to the CEC describing the TMC as “rude”, Banerjee questioned the basis of such comments. “An elected Chief Minister has written six letters. Not a single one has been replied to. So, who is being rude?” he asked.

Banerjee asserted that elected representatives have the right to seek clarification and raise concerns with constitutional authorities, adding that written communication from a Chief Minister warrants due consideration and a formal response. He alleged that during recent interactions with the Election Commission, only the Chief Election Commissioner engaged with the delegation, while other members of the Commission remained absent. He further claimed that the behaviour of the representatives was discourteous and appeared to be “planned”.

The TMC leader said the letters sent by the Chief Minister primarily pertained to the SIR process, which the party is not opposed to in principle but objects to in its current form. He alleged that the exercise was being conducted in a rushed and unplanned manner, causing severe stress among voters. “Since November, at least 150 families have lost their loved ones and many are hospitalised due to the anxiety and aftermath of this faulty system,” he claimed.

Banerjee also alleged that the Election Commission was defying Supreme Court directions regarding transparency in the revision process. He pointed out that the apex court had clearly instructed the ECI to publish two separate lists—one of unmapped voters and another of voters with logical discrepancies. According to him, these lists have not been made public in many areas despite the January 24 deadline, and are only being uploaded on the ERO portal without being shared with stakeholders, which he said violates the Commission’s own rules.

Raising concerns over digitisation, Banerjee alleged that AI-driven processes were wrongly flagging genuine voters under “logical discrepancies”, leading to potential deletion of names. He further claimed that SIR was being implemented in a discriminatory manner, citing the deployment of over 8,100 micro-observers in West Bengal, while BJP-ruled states allegedly had none despite reporting a higher number of voter deletions.

On the technical front, Banerjee alleged that although the SIR notice states that final authority rests with Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), effective control has shifted to micro-observers. He pointed to new columns on the ECI website for micro-observer and roll-observer comments, claiming that agreement by an ERO—even inadvertently—could lead to automatic deletion of a voter’s name, adversely affecting ground-level operations.

Accusing the Commission of prioritising deletion over inclusion, Banerjee alleged that illogical inconsistencies were being combined with unmapped voter lists, contrary to Supreme Court orders, increasing pressure on Booth Level Officers, EROs and District Election Officers. Claiming to possess video and documentary evidence of systematic voter deletions, he said the party would present all material before the court.

“We will expose how the Election Commission is deceiving 140 crore people in the name of SIR,” he said.

TMC leaders stressed that constructive engagement between constitutional institutions is essential to ensure transparency and maintain public confidence in the electoral system.