Kolkata : After Bihar successfully concluded its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, attention shifted to West Bengal, where the process was expected to begin next. However, the state government has officially declared that it is not prepared to carry out the exercise — and the political ripples are already being felt.
In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal on Friday, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant stated that the state requires at least two more years before it can undertake a comprehensive revision of the voter rolls. This directly contradicts an earlier communication from the CEO to the Election Commission of India (ECI), in which the state was said to be ready for SIR.
Pant’s letter reportedly expressed displeasure that the CEO’s office sent such an assurance to the ECI without government approval. He also questioned why this was done without consultation, signalling a clear rift between the state administration and the CEO’s office.
The development has triggered a heated political exchange. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar accused the Mamata Banerjee government of deliberately stalling the SIR process, claiming, “They are desperate to block SIR by any means. A genuine revision would expose illegal voters, including Rohingyas, and cost them power. The Election Commission must act to protect national sovereignty.”
On the other hand, TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty dismissed the BJP’s claims, calling the SIR controversy “a political drama.” He alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had already exposed voter fraud and that the Election Commission should address those allegations first.
With Bihar’s SIR phase just wrapped up, the standoff between the Election Commission and West Bengal’s ruling party has intensified, setting the stage for a fresh round of electoral and legal battles.
