All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), the faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, on Tuesday, 13 October, sharply questioned the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)'s announcement of a fresh campaign to re-enrol deleted eligible voters and register first-time voters in the state's electoral rolls. The party alleged the move was an implicit admission that the earlier Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise had been flawed and politically motivated.

What the CEO's Office Announced

On Monday, 12 October, the CEO's office stated that all 24 District Magistrates (DMs)-cum-District Electoral Officers (DEOs) had launched a proactive campaign across West Bengal to ensure no eligible elector is excluded from the rolls. Special camps are being held throughout the state. The office also directed citizens with grievances to approach their respective Booth-Level Officer (BLO), Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), or the DEO-cum-DM concerned.

TMC's Allegations Against the SIR Process

In a social media statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the TMC faction alleged that the new campaign amounted to an indirect acknowledgement that the SIR exercise had resulted in the deletion of eligible voters. The party questioned the timing and intent of the exercise.

'After deleting eligible voters from the electoral rolls before the elections, @ECISVEEP suddenly wants to launch a proactive campaign to ensure that no eligible elector is left out. Where was this proactiveness before the elections? Why was the SIR process in Bengal conducted in such a rushed and unplanned manner?' the TMC faction said in its statement.

The party further argued that the timing of the announcement raised 'serious questions about the integrity, fairness, and impartiality of the entire process.' It called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to explain the discrepancies rather than expect citizens to accept the process without scrutiny.

Direct Accusations Against BJP and ECI

The statement escalated beyond procedural criticism, with the TMC faction directly alleging coordination between the ECI and the ruling dispensation at the Centre. 'In the name of Logical Discrepancy and botched-up SIR, the ECI took away people's right to vote, hand in glove with Modi and Shah, to bring an illegitimate government to power,' the statement read. It added: 'No government can claim legitimacy without public trust in the electoral process that brought it to power. Nothing illegal lasts forever. Neither will the @BJP4Bengal government.'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had not issued a formal response to these allegations at the time of this report.

Broader Context and What's Next

The controversy over the SIR process in West Bengal has been simmering since allegations emerged that the exercise disproportionately affected voter enrolments in certain constituencies. The TMC has consistently maintained that the deletions were politically targeted. The CEO's fresh campaign, while framed as routine, has now become the latest flashpoint in a deepening dispute over electoral integrity in the state. How the ECI responds to TMC's demands for accountability is likely to shape the political temperature in West Bengal in the weeks ahead.