Bengal govt seeks explanation from CEO over poll body's 'state ready for SIR' claim

The West Bengal government on Friday sought to know from the chief electoral officer whether the CEO's office has informed the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the state was ready for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as reported in a section of the media.

West Bengal home secretary Nandini Chakraborty wrote to the CEO stating that "no consultation or prior intimation was made with the state government" by the poll body in this regard.

Several newspapers and television channels have reported on Thursday and Friday that the office of the CEO has informed the ECI that West Bengal is ready for the SIR, Chakraborty said in the letter.

"I would, therefore, request you to kindly confirm the veracity of the press reportage to dispel any misinformation," the letter read.

The home secretary officer also enclosed newspaper clippings with the letter to the CEO of West Bengal.

Top leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress, including party supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee, have been opposing the SIR, alleging that the ECI, in connivance with the BJP, are trying to disenfranchise genuine voters.

Meanwhile, in a fresh notice to West Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant on Friday, the ECI set the state government a deadline of 3.00 pm on 11 August to execute its decision to suspend four officials and submit an action taken compliance report.

The ECI had on Tuesday announced its decision to suspend four officials — two electoral registration officers (EROs) and two assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) — and a casual data entry operator in West Bengal for allegedly committing irregularities while preparing electoral rolls in Baruipur Purba and Moyna assembly segments in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts.

It directed the chief secretary to lodge FIRs against all five accused and sought an action taken report from the top bureaucrat at the earliest.

Two among the five penalised state government employees — Debottam Dutta Choudhury and Biplab Sarkar, operating as EROs — are officers of the WBCS (executive) rank.

“No compliance report indicating specific action taken against each of the officers has been received in the Commission so far,” the ECI notice on Friday stated.

“The commission has directed that necessary action against the above officers shall be taken immediately and a compliance report be furnished to the Commission, latest by 3.00 PM on 11th August, 2025,” the notice read.

Banerjee had questioned the ECI’s jurisdiction and legality of the move and alleged that the BJP was using the ECI to “intimidate state government officers”.

“We will not suspend them… We will protect you. I will continue to be your paharadar,” Banerjee said at a public meeting in Jhargram on Tuesday, while tearing into the poll panel, and accusing it of functioning like “bonded labourers” of the BJP.

With PTI inputs