5 months ago
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, urging him to instantly halt the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls successful the State, and warned that it could origin "mass disenfranchisement" and "irreparable damage" to India’s antiauthoritarian foundations.
In a missive to the CEC dated December 3, Ms. Banerjee expressed “grave concern” implicit alleged irregularities, procedural violations and administrative lapses successful the behaviour of the SIR successful the State, asserting that the process had been undertaken successful an “unplanned, ill-prepared and advertisement hoc manner”.
“The SIR process is profoundly compromised and strikes astatine the basal structural model of our ideology and the tone of the Constitution,” the Chief Minister claimed.
She alleged that the "undue haste" and "lack of capable groundwork" had resulted successful superior defects, including faulty IT systems, inconsistent instructions and inadequate grooming of officials entrusted with the exercise.
“If allowed to proceed successful its contiguous form, the SIR volition origin irreparable damage, wide disenfranchisement of voters and battle antiauthoritarian foundations,” Ms. Banerjee said successful her missive to the CEC.
The Chief Minister urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to transportation retired contiguous corrective measures, failing which, she said, the “arbitrary and unplanned workout indispensable beryllium halted".
Ms. Banerjee besides flagged the alleged denial of booth-level agents (BLAs) during the proceeding process, stating that it raised “serious questions astir the fairness, transparency and credibility” of the SIR.
Holding the canvass sheet liable for the behaviour of the exercise, Ms. Banerjee said the ECI indispensable beryllium “held afloat accountable for immoderate illegal, arbitrary oregon biased actions carried retired nether its supervision oregon direction”.
