West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has written a fresh letter to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising concerns over what she described as two “disturbing yet urgent developments” related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
The letter comes days after she flagged similar issues, as the SIR exercise continues to trigger a major political clash between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Banerjee questioned an alleged Election Commission directive barring the engagement of contractual data-entry operators and Bangla Sahayata Kendra staff for SIR-related work.
She noted that the chief electoral officer has instead floated a proposal to outsource 1,000 data-entry operators and 50 software developers for a year, asking whether such a move was being taken “under pressure from a political party”.
Her second objection centred on the reported consideration of polling stations inside private residential complexes, which she argued would violate electoral norms and create “discriminatory distinctions” between residents and the general public.
The BJP, meanwhile, has dismissed Banerjee’s allegations, with senior leader Suvendu Adhikari accusing her of attempting to shield a “vote bank of ineligible and illegal elements”.
The political row has intensified as the SIR process faces scrutiny following the recent deaths of some booth-level officers in Bengal and other states.
