Suvendu Adhikari Counters Mamata Banerjee’s Objections, Accuses TMC of Blocking Voter List Cleanup

Kolkata, Nov 2025: West Bengal Leader of the Opposition and senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has written to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, strongly countering Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s demand to halt the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the state. Adhikari’s letter, sent on Thursday, came shortly after Mamata Banerjee urged the Election Commission to immediately stop the SIR process, alleging that it was being conducted in an “unplanned, haphazard, and dangerous manner,” creating panic among citizens and overwhelming booth-level officers (BLOs).

In his letter, Adhikari rejected the Chief Minister’s claims as “politically motivated” and “essentially bogus.” He argued that her appeal to the Election Commission was a desperate attempt to derail the voter list purification exercise. According to him, the SIR is crucial to identifying and eliminating illegal entries, and Mamata Banerjee’s objections were aimed at shielding “bogus voters,” particularly illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators whose names have allegedly been added to the electoral rolls.

Adhikari asserted that the SIR is being carried out systematically across West Bengal, contrary to the Chief Minister’s allegations. He maintained that the exercise is essential for ensuring a clean, accurate, and transparent voter list ahead of upcoming elections. He further accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of attempting to obstruct the process due to fear of losing political advantage if fraudulent entries are removed.

Earlier in the day, Adhikari issued a separate statement in which he dismissed Mamata Banerjee’s claim that BLOs were under intense pressure due to SIR-related tasks. Instead, he alleged that BLOs were facing coercion from district-level officials, including District Magistrates and District Electoral Officers, who he claimed were acting like “full-time TMC election agents.”

According to Adhikari, officials in districts such as East Midnapore, Hooghly, and East Burdwan were pressuring BLOs to engage in unfair practices during the revision drive. He further alleged that these officers, along with TMC workers appointed as data entry operators, were demanding access to official OTPs used for updating voter data—an act he described as highly irregular and compromising the integrity of the electoral process.

Adhikari urged the Election Commission to continue the SIR without interruption and to safeguard BLOs from administrative and political pressure. He stressed that a fair and accurate electoral roll is crucial for strengthening democracy in West Bengal and preventing electoral malpractice.