The Election Commission told the Supreme Court that West Bengal’s voter list revision was disrupted by violence, intimidation, and political pressure. It said officials could not perform their legal duties, even though the same process was peaceful in all other states.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the Supreme Court that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has been compromised by violence, intimidation, and persistent political interference.
These issues have created an environment where election officials struggle to perform their statutory responsibilities.
In its affidavit, the ECI states that while the enumeration phase of the SIR proceeded seamlessly and without incident in other states, West Bengal experienced numerous cases of violence, intimidation, and obstruction against election officials involved in the process.
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Additionally, the ECI has raised concerns about the integrity of the 2025 electoral rolls, noting that over 58 lakh voters who are absent, deceased, or have relocated have been identified during the current SIR.
Approximately 1.51 crore notices are being distributed by electoral registration officers, making it clear that these rolls cannot be used for the upcoming assembly elections.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta previously informed the bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, that the ECI’s counter-affidavit would also pertain to the case initiated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as it highlights the hostile, intimidating, and violent conditions faced by election officials in the state.
The affidavit highlights a pervasive reluctance among local police to register complaints from booth level officers (BLOs). In some instances, first information reports (FIRs) were only filed after district election officers intervened, with arrests occurring much later.
The ECI claimed that the state deliberately ignored its directives regarding FIR registration and disciplinary actions.
Among the most severe incidents noted by the ECI is the gherao of the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Kolkata on November 24, 2025. The affidavit describes how protestors attempted to force their way in, broke through police barricades, vandalized the office, obstructed officials, and locked the premises resulting in a “serious hindrance” to official work.
Despite the ECI’s communication to the Commissioner of Police regarding the security breach, the protestors were not removed, remaining on-site for 28 hours.
The affidavit also indicates that no FIR has been filed regarding the gherao incident, and no protestors have been apprehended, despite the occurrence of cognizable offenses.
The Commission pointed out that the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal is unique in the country for having been granted ‘Y’ category security following a threat evaluation by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The affidavit cites specific instances of political threats against election officials in Hooghly and South 24 Parganas districts. For example, a sitting Minister reportedly stated he would “break the legs of Election Commission,” and an MLA warned that deleting names during the SIR would be playing with fire.
There were also threats to physically restrain BLOs and public calls for citizens to take the law into their own hands.
The ECI further noted a press conference on January 14 where the Chief Minister reportedly singled out election officials and named a micro observer.
Consequently, the affidavit asserts that such statements have had immediate repercussions, as on the same day, nine micro-observers assigned to the 55-Farakka assembly constituency in Murshidabad submitted a collective letter retracting from SIR duties due to violent assaults and insufficient security.
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Despite these challenges, BLOs collected over 7.08 crore enumeration forms, achieving 92.40 percent of the total during the enumeration phase. The ECI emphasized that the ongoing notice phase is vital for assessing eligibility and rectifying errors, asserting that its completion without fear or intimidation is crucial for the integrity of the electoral roll.
The Commission has reported that 2.09 crore entries in the draft electoral roll for 2025 are currently under review.
Consequently, the ECI contends that using the 2025 electoral rolls for the forthcoming assembly election would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election and the elected government.
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