SIR: Cong accuses CEC of ‘shamelessness’ over Bengal voter inclusion drive

• Congress attacks CEC Gyanesh Kumar over Bengal voter inclusion drive after SIR deletions.

• Jairam Ramesh alleges the assembly election was delivered to the BJP fraudulently.

• The EC says its orders follow established statutory procedures amid a row over SIR decisions.

The Congress on Tuesday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of “shamelessness” after election officials in West Bengal launched campaigns to facilitate the inclusion of eligible voters whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a screenshot of a press release issued by the office of West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Neelam Meena.

“After having delivered the assembly election to the BJP in a brazenly fraudulent manner, the CEC has had this Press Note issued. There is no limit to Gyanesh Kumar's shamelessness,” Ramesh said in a social media post.

According to the press release, 24 district election officers (DEOs) across West Bengal have launched a campaign, following instructions from the Election Commission (EC), to identify eligible voters whose names were deleted during the SIR and facilitate their inclusion in the electoral rolls.

Special camps are being held across the state. People with complaints can contact their respective booth-level officers (BLOs), assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), electoral registration officers (EROs) or DEOs, the release said.

“We are committed to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded from the voter list,” the statement added.

Row over SIR-related decisions

Ramesh's remarks come amid a controversy following a report by The Indian Express that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over the previous 10 months to decisions and orders, mostly related to the SIR process.

The Election Commission has said that differing views and observations are part of deliberations within any institution. It has maintained that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.