What’s Actually Happening: The Key Issues Raised by Mamata Banerjee
1. Concerns About the SIR Process Itself
Mamata has already criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal. She calls it “unplanned, chaotic, and dangerous.”
She argues there are critical gaps in how people (especially BLOs — Booth Level Officers) are trained.
There’s also “lack of clarity” around what documentation people must provide.
According to her, the workload is excessive: BLOs are doing door-to-door surveys and doing online submissions, often without enough time or adequate technology support.
She warns that such pressure and the flawed process could lead to disenfranchisement of legitimate voters, or mistakes in the voter roll.
2. Outsourcing of Data Entry and Software Work
The CEO of West Bengal (under the EC) has floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire 1,000 data-entry operators + 50 software developers for one year.
Meanwhile, she claims, the CEO has directed district-level officers (DEOs) not to hire their usual contractual data-entry staff or use workers from Bangla Sahayata Kendra (BSK) for SIR-related data work.
Her argument: the district offices already have sufficient and competent people doing this work. Why outsource to an external agency?
She questions whether this outsourcing is being done because of political pressure (“at the behest of a political party to serve vested interests”).
She also wonders what “difference” the EC expects — are the external hires going to perform significantly differently, or get different terms?
3. Polling Stations in Private Housing Complexes
She strongly objects to a proposed plan (or consideration) to set up polling booths inside private residential complexes.
For her, polling stations should remain in public or semi-public places (government buildings, community centers), not in private apartments.
Her concern: private complexes might compromise fairness and neutrality, since they could exclude or disadvantage “the general public” vs “privileged residents.”
She again raises the suspicion of political motive: “is this being done under pressure from a political party to advance their partisan interests?”
She warns that such a change could have a severe impact on how fair the electoral process is.
4. Appeal for Immediate EC Intervention
In her letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, she demands “immediate intervention” on both these issues.
She stresses the need for the Commission to act with impartiality, transparency, and seriousness.
She emphasizes that the credibility, neutrality, and dignity of the Election Commission should not be compromised.
According to the report:
1. She is concerned about how the electoral rolls (SIR) are being handled in West Bengal.
2. She objects to a proposal by the Chief Electoral Officer to outsource data-entry workers and software developers for a year, instead of using existing local professionals.
3. She also flags the issue of setting up polling stations inside private housing complexes, which she calls “disturbing yet urgent” developments.
4. She fears these moves could undermine the fairness of the electoral process.
