Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising concern over the implementation of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in the state. In her letter, she also expressed grief over the loss of life in the state in the last few months since the beginning of SIR.
'Deeply Alarming Stage': West Bengal CM Writes To Poll Body Chief
Banerjee called the process "unplanned, chaotic, and dangerous," while claiming that the exercise is being forced upon the officials and citizens. "I have time and again flagged my serious concerns in respect of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the way it has been thrust upon the people. Now, I am compelled to write to you as the situation surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has reached a deeply alarming stage. The manner in which this exercise is being forced upon officials and citizens is not only unplanned and chaotic, but also dangerous. The absence of even basic preparedness, adequate planning, or clear communication has crippled the process from day one. Critical gaps in training, lack of clarity on mandatory documentation, and the near-impossibility of meeting voters in the midst of their livelihood schedules have made the exercise structurally unsound," Banerjee wrote.
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Mamata Banerjee Points Out BLOs' Working Conditions
The West Bengal CM further pointed out the working conditions of the booth-level officers. She alleged that they were not adequately trained and had to work under severe time constraints. "I deeply appreciate the strenuous efforts put in by the BLOs under these extremely pressing circumstances and huge workload. However, it cannot be denied that the BLOs have not been provided adequate training, support, and time required for undertaking a mammoth exercise of this nature. The unrealistic workload, impossible timelines, and inadequate support with online data entry have collectively placed the entire process-and its credibility at severe risk. This strikes at the heart of our electoral democracy."
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CM Urged ECI To 'Halt This Unplanned Drive…'
Considering all this, Banerjee criticised the State Election Commission for not addressing the public's problems. In a social media post, she referred to one of the recently lost lives due to SIR. "Deeply shocked and saddened. Today again, we lost a Booth Level Officer in Mal, Jalpaiguri — Smt Shanti Muni Ekka, a tribal lady, an anganwadi worker who took her own life under the unbearable pressure of the ongoing SIR work. 28 people have already lost their lives since SIR began — some due to fear and uncertainty, others due to stress and overload. Such precious lives are being lost because of the unplanned, relentless workload imposed by the so-called Election Commission of India. A process that earlier took 3 years is now being forced into 2 months on the eve of elections to please political masters, putting inhuman pressure on BLOs. I urge the ECI to act with conscience and immediately halt this unplanned drive before more lives are lost," she wrote in a post on X.