Supreme Court Showdown: Mamata Banerjee Seeks Elections on Old Voter Rolls
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has escalated her confrontation with the Election Commission of India (ECI) by moving the Supreme Court, seeking that the upcoming 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections be held using last year’s voter list instead of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a detailed Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed on January 28, Banerjee argued that the ongoing SIR process poses an “immediate and irreversible threat” of mass disenfranchisement of eligible voters. She warned that conducting the revision so close to the elections could unfairly tilt the electoral playing field and leave authorities with insufficient time to address voter grievances or make necessary corrections before finalising the electorate.
The Chief Minister highlighted that errors, omissions and administrative flaws in the SIR — including demanding documentary proof for voter identity and classifying many voters under “logical discrepancies” — would disproportionately affect poor workers, migrants and marginalised communities who might miss hearings or face arbitrary exclusions.
Banerjee has asked the Supreme Court to direct that elections proceed based on the old electoral rolls prepared last year and to restrain authorities from summoning voters for hearings over minor inconsistencies such as spelling variations in names. Her petition contends the exercise, as implemented, may violate provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act.
The apex court is currently hearing the matter and has already taken up multiple legal challenges to the SIR process, with petitioners citing procedural irregularities and administrative lapses.
