By Rootsalert News Desk | February-04-2026
Mamata Banerjee Appears in Supreme Court, Questions Selective Voter Revision in West Bengal
In a rare move, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee stood before the Supreme Court herself on Wednesday, not just as a politician, but as a petitioner. Her mission? To stop what she calls a “targeted” attempt to wipe millions of voters off the map before the upcoming April elections.
The “Target” on West Bengal
At the heart of the firestorm is the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). While most states undergo routine updates, Bengal is facing a rigorous “clean-up” that has already seen over 58 lakh names scrubbed from the rolls.
Mamata’s question to the bench was pointed: “Why no SIR in Assam?” She alleged that while BJP-ruled states are following standard procedures, West Bengal is being subjected to an aggressive vetting process that risks “irreversible” disenfranchisement of genuine citizens.
When “Logic” Defies Common Sense
The CM highlighted how the revision is causing chaos for ordinary people. The EC has been flagging “logical discrepancies”—things like name misspellings or small age gaps between parents and children.
• Even a Nobel Laureate isn’t safe: Amartya Sen was reportedly flagged because of a 15-year age gap with his parents.
• The Burden on Citizens: Instead of fixing clerical errors using existing data, the EC is summoning people for physical hearings, which Banerjee argues is an unnecessary hurdle for the common man.
The Rootsalert Take
This isn’t just about paperwork; it’s about the right to vote. If 5.8 million people are removed from the system right before an election, it changes the entire democratic landscape of the state. Banerjee is pushing for the elections to be held using last year’s verified rolls to ensure no one is left behind.
The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, is now weighing whether this “intensive” revision is a necessary cleanup or a selective political tool.
