ECI-Mamata battle it out over SIR in Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal, issuing a sharp warning against perceived overreach and bias just before the commencement of the Special Integrated Revision (SIR) of voter lists for the 2026 Assembly elections. She said, "I hope you don't overplay your hand. There are many complaints against you (CEO) as well."

The CM's strong words came amid signals from the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the SIR process is set to begin in West Bengal soon. The ECI’s central team had held a significant meeting in Kolkata, emphasizing the need for strict supervision and warning of disciplinary action against election officers for any major errors, citing previous suspensions in Bihar.

She also asserted that the BJP was “playing with fire” in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and warned that any attempt to tamper with the voters’ list would be tantamount to “betrayal of democracy”. “The Election Commission is threatening Bengal government officers. We will not tolerate this.”

Mamata Banerjee also questioned how a Union Minister could publicly state the need to remove "one and a half crore voters" from the list before the SIR process had even properly begun, asking if he planned to execute this task while sitting in a party office.