New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) President Mamata Banerjee has moved the Supreme Court. Mamata has alleged that the Special Revision of Voter Lists in the state is being rushed ahead of the assembly elections due in April 2026, as well as being biased and non-transparent.
She warned that the exercise could disenfranchise voters on a large scale and damage the foundation of democracy.
Earlier, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on January 3, Banerjee had termed the SIR as an "unplanned and ill-conceived" process. She also accused the Election Commission of serious violations, administrative lapses and irregularities.
The Supreme Court has already heard petitions filed by TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen in this matter. They had alleged that informal instructions were being issued to election officials through WhatsApp.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi had issued a notice to the Election Commission on January 12 and sought its response. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal of the court argued that work was being done by BLOs without any formal orders, which raises questions about the conduct of the election process.