West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Chairperson of All India Trinamool Congress, wrote to the CEC expressing concern over ECI’s actions in West Bengal. Over 60 lakh genuine voters remain under adjudication, and 200+ lives were lost due to the flawed SIR process.
CM Mamata Banerjee, Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress, written a strongly worded letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) expressing deep concern over the recent actions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in West Bengal.
The letter alleges serious violations of democratic rights and highlights distressing incidents during the voter revision process.
In her letter dated 31st March 2026, Banerjee stated,
“It is a matter of deep concern that a constitutional authority such as the Election Commission of India appears to be undermining the democratic and fundamental rights of the people of Bengal. The flawed and seemingly targeted ‘Special Intensive Revision’ has caused severe hardship to millions, pushing many to the brink of disenfranchisement. Tragically, over 200 people have reportedly lost their lives in this process. It is deeply distressing that even such developments have not elicited a more humane and responsive approach from ECI.”
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The TMC chief further alleged coordinated attempts by the BJP, along with the ECI, to manipulate voter inclusion in the state.
She wrote,
“Credible reports indicate that large numbers of Form 6 applications are being submitted by BJP agents at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and across several districts. These do not seem to be routine applications for voter inclusion but a mischievous ploy to include non-residents in the electoral roll. There are serious concerns that these applications may pertain to individuals who are not genuine residents of Bengal and have no legitimate connection to the state. Similar patterns were reportedly observed prior to elections in Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi.”
Banerjee emphasized that such actions would be “illegal, unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic, reflecting mala fide intent and ill motive. This is not the standard expected of a constitutional authority. The people have a right to transparency and to the protection of their voting rights.”
Citing the Supreme Court’s directions in W.P.(C) No. 1089 of 2025, she highlighted the role of judicial officers in adjudicating claims and objections.
The Court had observed,
“..Be that as it may, to ensure fairness in the adjudication of the genuineness of the documents relied upon and the consequential determination for inclusion or exclusion from the voter list, as agreed by both sides, we are left with hardly any other option but to request Hon’ble the Chief Justice of the High Court at Calcutta to spare some serving judicial officers, along with some former judicial officers of impeccable integrity in the rank of District Judges/Additional District Judges, who can then, in each district, be requested to revisit and dispose of the pending claims under the category of ‘logical discrepancy/unmapped category’.”
In a follow-up argument, Banerjee pointed out that the final voter list published on 28th February 2026 included nearly 60 lakh cases under adjudication, and four supplementary lists have been published by the ECI since then.
She warned that the receipt of nearly 30,000 new Form 6 applications could “reasonably apprehend that all these Applications under Form 6 would be allowed by the Election Commission without giving appropriate notice in the concerned booths and to all the political parties.”
The TMC chief stressed the legal limits, stating,
“The recourse which has been taken by the CEO vis-à-vis the Election Commission in this regard is wholly unreasonable in view of the facts that the deadline was fixed and the Hon’ble Supreme Court has made very clear in their earlier orders that all claims and objections, i.e., inclusion and deletion, would be decided by the adjudicating officer. Thus, the consideration of nearly 30,000 applications for inclusion, which would be decided only by the CEO or any other administrative officers is totally illegal and is beyond the scope of the Order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”
She also criticized Memo No. 3420-Home(Elec) dated 27th March 2026, stating,
“The issuance of the Memo No. 3420-Home(Elec) dated 27th March 2026 allowing addition through Form 6 and addition by shifting through Form 8 considered till the last day of nomination is absolutely illegal and unfair by reasons of the Orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and beyond the statutory scheme of the Registration of the Electors Rules 1960. These provisions are intended for limited purposes, primarily benefiting prospective candidates and cannot be invoked for bulk consideration of applications.”
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Finally, Banerjee reminded the CEC of the constitutional limitations of the ECI, writing,
“Under Article 324 of the Constitution of India, the Election Commission of India cannot make any provision which is contrary to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, i.e., when the field is occupied by Statute and statutory Rules, the Election Commission of India according to their own whims cannot make such provisions more so, in view of the Orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. It is imperative that the ECI takes cognizance of the ground realities and intervenes decisively and lawfully to ensure that the democratic rights of the people are protected and not undermined or throttled in any manner.”
This letter from Mamata Banerjee raises serious questions over the functioning of the Election Commission in Bengal, the handling of voter lists, and the protection of citizens’ democratic rights, ahead of the crucial elections.
Read Letter
