Mamata Banerjee bombards EC with ‘why, why, why’ in fresh letter over ‘disturbing issues’ amid SIR in Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote another letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state.

Questioning a centralised Request for Proposal issued by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for outsourcing data personnel for SIR and election-related work, the CM also objected to the proposed setting up of polling stations inside private housing complexes – describing them as “disturbing, yet urgent developments”.

“Why? Why? Why?” the CM questioned in her letter.

Mamata Banerjee's latest letter to CEC Gyanesh Kumar comes days after she wrote a letter to the CEC, listing concerns over the ongoing SIR and asking to halt it immediately.

What Mamata Banerjee said in her letter?

In the letter dated 24 November, the Trinamool Congress supremo flagged two concerns related to SIR. She claimed that the CEC had barred the use of contractual data-entry operators and Bangla Sahayata Kendra (BSK) staff for SIR or election-related data tasks.

Mamata Banerjee wrote that the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal has instead floated a request to “outsource” 1,000 data-entry operators and 50 software developers for a year.

Questioning the move, the CM wrote: “When district offices already have a substantial number of competent professionals performing such functions, what necessitates the CEO's initiative to outsource the same work through an external agency for a full year?”

Calling the implications far-reaching, Mamata Banerjee claimed that the decisions would “have a severe impact on the fairness of the electoral process”.

West Bengal CM's previous letter to CEC

In her previous letter dated 20 November, Mamata Banerjee had requested the CEC Gyanesh Kumar to immediately halt the SIR exercise in the state, claiming it as “chaotic, coercive and dangerous”.

Mamata Banerjee mentioned that she has “time and again” raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state and is now “compelled to write” to the chief election commissioner because the situation has reached a “deeply alarming stage”.

She alleged that the SIR in Bengal is being carried out in an unplanned and dangerous manner, which has crippled the process from day one.

BJP, TMC spar over SIR in Bengal

Union minister and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday claimed that the TMC had been opposing the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal to protect “crores of unauthorised voters”.

While addressing a gathering at the Parivartan Yatra in Paschim Medinipur's Mohanpur, Sukanta Majumdar said that the SIR had been “welcomed” by the “bonafide” citizens of West Bengal but was being opposed by TMC leaders, PTI reported.

SIR in Bengal - When is the last date?

The SIR process, which began on 4 November, is currently underway. The house-to-house enumeration phase is scheduled to end on 4 December, with the publication of the draft electoral roll set for 9 December, as per the Election Commission's website.