Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 27 (ANI): Amid the ongoing row over the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said the rejection of 27 lakh entries over logical discrepancies was carried out by the judiciary, not government officials, and accused Mamata Banerjee of attacking the courts.
Speaking to ANI, Suvendu Adhikari said, "Regarding the SIR in Bengal, the rejection of 27 lakh entries due to logical discrepancies was not done by government officials. Mamata Banerjee and her party went to the Supreme Court; the Supreme Court appointed District Judges, and it was the District Judges who deleted the names. So, she is speaking against the Judiciary."
"In West Bengal, the SIR work, specifically addressing logical discrepancies, was not carried out by government officials but by the judiciary. The Supreme Court invoked Article 142, took the powers away from the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer), and directly empowered the District Judges to delete those names. Challenging the Judiciary is tantamount to challenging Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution," he added.
The apex court in February permitted the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to deploy additional civil judges with three years of experience and, if required, seek assistance from the Chief Justices of Jharkhand and Odisha for verifying objections under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls in the state.
Adhikari also slammed the opposition, suggesting that they were being selective about the SIR exercise in states they had won and in those they had lost.
Referring to the expected INDIA bloc meeting on September 30, he said, "Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi, and MA Baby should go to Keralam and hold a joint meeting. The Congress won in Keralam, and the SIR process there was good, whereas in Bihar, the Congress and Mamata were completely wiped out—the situation there was bad."
This comes as the row over the Election Commission's functioning intensified on Saturday, with Left leaders and the Trinamool Congress pushing for a united Opposition front against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Escalating his attack, he said, "They are finished. They can hold a meeting with 150 people—gathering all their crooks and sycophants from across the state—but it amounted to nothing; nothing is going to happen here...The BJP is here to stay for three generations. Your son and your grandson will witness the BJP remaining in power for a hundred years."
Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had earlier alleged the SIR exercise had been used to specifically target the state.
"Why was SIR conducted? It was forced upon us solely to capture Bengal, as they couldn't win otherwise. Under the guise of SIR, the names of 92 lakh people were struck off. We were the first party to raise this issue...initially, about 70 lakh names were removed through the SIR process. We went to court and managed to get 32 lakh reinstated. Yet, 27 lakh names remained excluded... You removed the names of 92 lakh people in Bengal alone. And across the country, nearly 13 crore people have fallen victim to this SIR process," she said.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby called for a wider outreach against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, reaching out to parties outside the INDIA bloc, after Minister Mamata Banerjee backed the initiative to unite political parties against him.
The controversy began with a report in The Indian Express that claimed that decisions regarding the SIR process were objected to by two of the three Election Commissioners. The report stated that Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections multiple times over decisions and orders issued without their knowledge.
The Election Commission of India (ECI), for its part, has clarified its position, saying all decisions related to the schedule of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were taken with the "unanimous approval of the Commission".The EC further stated that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary was related to the functioning of an officer on deputation and not any policy matter of the poll body.
In its press note, the ECI stated that the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in 12 States and Union Territories was issued on October 27, 2025, while the schedule for 19 States and UTs was issued on May 14, 2026, with the unanimous approval of the Commission.
The poll body also added that the order for the SIR issued on June 24, 2025, covering all States and UTs, beginning with Bihar, followed by West Bengal and 30 other States and UTs, was approved unanimously by the Commission. (ANI)
27 lakh names rejected due to logical discrepancy by judiciary, not govt: West Bengal CM
