‘Election Commission is WhatsApp Commission': Mamata Banerjee to SC during SIR hearing – Top quotes

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday appeared in the Supreme Court during the crucial hearing on the petitions challenging the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state.

The chief minister had also moved an interlocutory application seeking permission to appear and argue in person.

Banerjee was personally present in courtroom 1 along with her lawyers.

The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission and the chief electoral officers of West Bengal regarding the SIR matter. The next hearing of the matter is 9 February.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi heard the petitions of Banerjee and three others filed by Mostari Banu and TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen.

Banerjee made arguments before the Supreme Court during a hearing.

What the Chief Minister told the court

Addressing the top court, Banerjee, according to TMC, placed real-life cases on record, backed by reports from leading newspapers. “These are not my photographs. These are from reputed newspapers,” she said.

The chief minister explained that the SIR is being used almost entirely as a deletion exercise. her party said. Women who changed their surnames after marriage, people who shifted homes, and poor families buying small flats are having their names removed without due process, later justified under vague labels such as “logical discrepancy” or “incorrect mapping,” in clear violation of court directions, the chief minister said.

Welcoming the Court’s order to accept Aadhaar as valid proof, Mamata Banerjee questioned why Bengal alone was denied documents accepted elsewhere, such as domicile or caste certificates.

“Why was Bengal singled out on the eve of elections?” she asked.

She also flagged the urgency imposed after 24 years, rushed through in three months, during harvest season and peak migration, and placed on record the human cost: over 100 deaths, BLO fatalities, and widespread hospitalisation, the TMC said.

“If this was genuine reform,” she asked, “why not Assam? Why only Bengal?”

Mamata Banerjee conveyed that this was not a political battle, but a constitutional appeal made when all other doors had closed. She also referred to poll panel as ‘WhatsApp Commission’, an apparent reference to the passing of instructions to electoral officials via the messaging app.

Having written to the Election Commission multiple times without a response, Mamata Banerjee stated that her presence before the Court was driven by the belief that justice must remain accessible when institutions fail to listen.

Some Mamata Banerjee quotes

-We are not getting justice anywhere. I personally wrote six letters, but never got a reply from the Election Commission.

- Their process is only for deletion not for inclusion.

-Unplanned mismatch - That’s their process.

- When a daughter is married, she changes her surname, even that is a mismatch for EC

- Daughters who have shifted to their in-laws’ place, even their names have been deleted

- Sometimes, poor people shift homes/ change addresses for work, but under the category of ‘logical discrepancy’ even their names have been deleted

- Sir, you had allowed the Aadhar card to be used for verification. The West Bengal people were so happy with your order. But now the EC is violating the court order and not allowing that document alone. They are demanding a whole set of documents and not allowing even state certificates

- EC is categorically targeting Bengal.

- A process that takes 2 years, they (EC) want to complete it in 3 months!

- Bengal is being targeted. Why is this not happening in Assam? Why not Assam?

- Micro-observers are deleting all the names. They are not the official authority, but still, they are deleting names

- We are cooperating with them (EC). We have given EC whatever they have asked for.

- In the first phase, they’ve already deleted 58 lakh names

- Now, in the second phase, 1 crore 30 lakhs are being targeted

- To bulldoze the people of Bengal, they have appointed micro-observers only in our state - Why?

- My humble request is that the 'logical discrepancy' cases should NOT be deleted. They should be re-examined

- The final authority on deletion should not lie with micro observers.

-I will save the democracy.