West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Argues Against Election Commission's Electoral Roll Revision Before Supreme Court

Guwahati:West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjeeon Wednesday made a rare appearance before theSupreme Court, personally arguing her petition against the Election Commission’sSpecial Intensive Revision(SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.Banerjee, a trained lawyer, sought permission to address the court as a party in person during the hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of IndiaSurya Kant. The case relates to the SIR exercise being conducted inWest Bengalahead of the Assembly elections, which the Chief Minister has strongly opposed.During her submissions, Banerjee alleged that the revision process had led to large-scale wrongful deletions from voter lists, causing serious hardship to ordinary citizens. She claimed the exercise was being carried out in a manner that disproportionately targeted West Bengal, while similar scrutiny was not being applied in other states.In a striking claim before the apex court, Banerjee alleged that at least 150 people had died in West Bengal due to stress and pressure linked to the SIR exercise. She argued that repeated verification visits, fear of losing voting rights, and uncertainty surrounding inclusion in the electoral rolls had pushed vulnerable citizens—particularly the elderly and marginalised—into extreme distressRaising concerns over the methodology adopted by the Election Commission, the Chief Minister argued that the focus of the SIR appeared to be on deleting names rather than ensuring voter inclusion. She warned that such an approach could undermine democratic participation and disenfranchise eligible voters.Banerjee also made an emotional appeal to the court, urging it to intervene to safeguard democracy. She contended that the pace and manner of the SIR exercise had created fear and confusion among voters across the state.The hearing underscored the growing confrontation between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission over electoral preparations in the state. Banerjee questioned the deployment of micro-observers and cited alleged discrepancies in voter data to support her case.The Supreme Court took note of the arguments but did not pass any immediate orders. The matter remains under consideration, with further hearings expected.Related