New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has been severely affected by violence, intimidation and sustained political interference, creating conditions in which election officials are unable to discharge their statutory duties.
In an affidavit, the poll body stated that while the enumeration phase of the SIR was conducted “seamlessly and without incident” in other states, West Bengal witnessed repeated incidents of obstruction, threats and attacks against election officials.
The ECI has further contended that the sanctity of the 2025 electoral rolls is questionable, as more than 58 lakh entries of absent, deceased and shifted voters have been identified during the ongoing SIR, and around 1.51 crore statutory notices are being issued by electoral registration officers.
The Commission asserted that the 2025 rolls cannot be relied upon for the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ECI, earlier submitted before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi that the counter affidavit would also be relevant in a connected matter filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as it places on record allegations of hostility, intimidation and violence faced by election officials.
The affidavit records a “pervasive reluctance” on the part of local police authorities to register first information reports on complaints made by booth-level officers (BLOs).
It states that FIRs were registered in some cases only after intervention by district election officers, with arrests following much later.
Despite repeated communications, the Commission has alleged that the state willfully failed to comply with ECI directions on registration of cases and initiation of disciplinary action.
One of the gravest incidents cited is the gherao of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata on November 24, 2025.
According to the ECI, protestors attempted forcible entry, broke police barricades, vandalised the office, obstructed officials, locked the premises from outside and prevented officers from entering or leaving, causing serious disruption of official work.
The Commission alleged that despite a formal complaint to the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, the demonstrators remained encamped for nearly 28 hours.
No FIR has been registered in connection with the incident and no arrests have been made, despite the commission of cognisable offences, the affidavit states.
The ECI has also pointed out that the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal is the only electoral official in the country provided ‘Y’ category security, following a threat assessment by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The affidavit further refers to incidents reported from Hooghly and South 24 Parganas districts.
Highlighting what it termed as overt political threats, the Commission cited statements attributed to public representatives, including a remark by a sitting Minister threatening to “break the legs of the Election Commission”, warnings by an MLA that deletion of names during the SIR would amount to “playing with fire”, and public calls to physically restrain BLOs and take law into one’s own hands.
The affidavit also refers to a press conference held on January 14 in which the Chief Minister is reported to have targeted election officials and named a micro-observer.
According to the Commission, these statements had immediate consequences, as on the same day, nine micro-observers deployed in the 55-Farakka Assembly constituency in Murshidabad collectively withdrew from SIR duties, citing violent assaults and inadequate security.
Despite the prevailing conditions, the ECI stated that BLOs collected over 7.08 crore enumeration forms, accounting for 92.40 per cent of the total, during the enumeration phase.
It stressed that the ongoing notice phase is crucial for determining eligibility and rectifying errors, and that its completion without fear or intimidation is essential to maintaining the integrity of the electoral roll.
The Commission informed the court that a total of 2.09 crore entries in the 2025 draft electoral rolls are currently under scrutiny, reiterating that the use of the 2025 rolls for the upcoming Assembly elections would cast serious doubt on the legitimacy of the electoral process and the government elected therefrom.
ECI tells SC West Bengal SIR marred by violence, political interference
