Speaking during a Facebook Live, former Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee stated that the IR is now Special Incentive for Ruling party and not Special Intensive RevisionShe further said that the ruling dispensation is running a joint venture with the Election Commission to rob elections.
Published: September 23, 2026, 6:04 PM IST
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Mamata BanerjeeFile image
In a scathing attack on the Election Commission, former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee demanded repolling in the state and called for the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The TMC chief alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was designed to “capture Bengal and dethrone the TMC government,” and claimed the BJP’s rise to power was the result of a conspiracy involving the Election CommissionShe further alleged that BJP IT cell officer Seema Khanna deleted 58 lakh names using AI before the SIR process, with another 34 lakh names deleted during it.
SIR is now Special Incentive of ruling party
In a Facebook Live address, Banerjee said, “The SIR is now Special Incentive for Ruling party and not Special Intensive RevisionToday, the ruling dispensation is running a joint venture company with the Election Commission to rob elections.” She went on to accuse the BJP of “robbing” elections in Bengal, Bihar, and Haryana to gain power, and threw down a challenge for the party to contest “free and fair” elections in Bengal once more.
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Mamata demands re-elections in Bengal
She alleged that the BJP had robbed the elections in Bengal, Bihar, and Haryana to capture power, and challenged the party to hold “free and fair” elections in Bengal once more to test whether it could actually win.
She further said that the BJP has totally captured the democratic machinery while making the TMC dependent“India is not independent under the BJP regime,” she said.
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The former Chief Minister said the INDIA alliance parties would meet shortly to chart out their next course of action against the BJP, adding, “I am calling for a mass uprising against the ruling dispensation.”
What is the Election Commission’s clarification?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has responded to reports of internal dissent, stating that differing views are a normal part of deliberations within the poll panel and that its decisions are made either unanimously or by majorityThe clarification comes after an Indian Express report alleged that the two Election Commissioners had objected to Commission decisions 14 times over a 10-month period, including on issues tied to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
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As per the report, the questions had been repeatedly raised within the three-member Election Commission over issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raising objections on several occasions.
The nationwide rollout of the SIR was being overseen by all three commissionersHowever, Sandhu and Joshi had formally recorded at least 14 objections over the past 10 months, including four on a single day, regarding decisions and orders they said were issued without their knowledge.
