West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticized Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for what she perceives as discourtesy during a recent meeting in Delhi regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls. In a video posted by the Trinamool Congress on social media, Banerjee claimed that Kumar did not adhere to protocol during the meeting. She expressed disappointment that Kumar did not stand up when she entered, despite the customary protocol.
Banerjee also mentioned that participants were requested to sign specific documents during the meeting, which she refused to do. She highlighted concerns about the impact of the ongoing SIR process on certain voter categories, particularly citing issues like changes in surname and address post-marriage that could lead to discrepancies in voter records. Banerjee emphasized that these discrepancies could disproportionately affect women and tribal community members.
The Chief Minister further stated that she raised these issues during the meeting but found the responses unsatisfactory. Additionally, she questioned the timing of the revision exercise, suggesting it could have been scheduled after the Assembly elections. The SIR is aimed at updating and verifying electoral rolls in West Bengal, with the last similar exercise conducted in 2002.
