The Election Commission had mistakenly listed alive individuals namely Maya Das, Monirul Molla and Harekrishna Giri as ‘dead’ in the SIR list. In response, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee brought three of these ‘deceased’ voters to a public meeting and strongly criticised the Election Commission in the first week of January. The Election Commission has now taken strict action against those responsible. Three BLOs (Booth Level Officers) from South 24 Parganas have been show-caused. The District Magistrate has also been instructed to explain how such a major lapse occurred.
Abhishek Banerjee Parades “Deceased” Voters on Ramp
The incident took place on January 2. During a speech at a public meeting in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, Abhishek Banerjee presented three individuals on the stage. Two of them were Monirul Molla and Harekrishna Giri. The third was a woman named Maya Das. Abhishek alleged that the Election Commission had declared these three individuals dead through the SIR process.
Abhishek, who is a Trinamool MP from Diamond Harbour, said, “These three people you see here, two of them (pointing to the two men on the stage) are residents of Metiaburuz. And this one (pointing to the woman) is from Kakdwip. The Election Commission has declared them dead. Not only them, but there are 24 more people like them in South 24 Parganas who have been declared dead by the Election Commission.” Abhishek demanded an explanation as to why living people were shown as dead. The incident caused a stir in West Bengal’s politics.
Election Commission took notice as controversy escalated
As the controversy escalated, the Commission finally took notice. A report was sought from the District Magistrate regarding the incident. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer of the state also stated that if any mistake was made intentionally, action would definitely be taken against the responsible officer. After receiving the District Magistrate’s report, the Commission reviewed the entire matter and took action on Saturday. The BLOs who were responsible have been issued show-cause notices.
Incidentally, a Trinamool councillor was also declared dead in the draft list published by the Commission in a similar manner. After seeing his name on the list of deceased persons, Trinamool councillor Surya Dey of Dankuni went to the local crematorium with his supporters. This caused a huge uproar. Following the incident, the commission later sought a report from the district magistrate.
Mamata Banerjee Warns CEC of Legal Action Over ‘Arbitrary’ SIR Exercise
In a significant constitutional and political confrontation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has issued a third, sharply worded letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding an immediate halt to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Dated January 3, 2026, the four-page correspondence characterizes the exercise as “deeply flawed, arbitrary, and unconstitutional,” warning that it threatens to disenfranchise millions of genuine voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The controversy centers on the SIR, a comprehensive house-to-house verification drive launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in mid-2025. Unlike routine annual updates, this exercise involves fresh enumeration and strict document verification, ostensibly to remove duplicate, deceased, and “shifted” entries.
In West Bengal, the stakes are exceptionally high. The ECI’s draft rolls revealed that over 58 lakh names—nearly 7% of the state’s electorate—have already been provisionally deleted. Furthermore, approximately 1.36 crore entries have been flagged for “logical discrepancies,” leading to a massive wave of mandatory hearings that have overwhelmed both citizens and local officials.