SIR in West Bengal done in hurry, may jeopardise democratic participation: Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen expressed deep discomfort with the SIR process in West Bengal, warning that the exercise was being carried out in “extreme haste” and could jeopardize democratic participation, especially with assembly elections coming up in a few months.

92-year-old economist speaks PTI In an interview in Boston, the democratic value of voter roll revisions and the conditions under which they could strengthen voting rights were discussed.

He underlined that such an exercise should be done carefully and in sufficient time, conditions that he believed were “missing” in Bengal’s situation.

“A thorough examination of the electoral rolls carefully and with adequate time allocation may be a good democratic procedure, but that is not what is happening in West Bengal now,” Mr. Sen said.

“SIR is being done in a hurry and there is not enough time for people who are eligible to vote to have adequate opportunity to submit documents to prove their right to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections. This is unfair to both the voters and India’s democracy,” he said.

Drawing on his own experience during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bengal, Mr. Sen said time pressure was evident even among poll officials.

“Sometimes it seems that Election Commission of India (ECI) officials do not have enough time.

“When they questioned my right to vote from the constituency in Santiniketan, where I had voted before and where my name, address and other details were recorded in the official records, they also questioned me about the age of my deceased mother on my date of birth, even though, as a voter herself, my mother’s information was also stored in their official records like mine,” he said.

The famous economist went on to describe the documentation challenges he faced, stating that these challenges were common to many Indians born in rural areas.

“Like many Indian citizens born in rural India (I was born in Santiniketan village back then), I too do not have a birth certificate and my right to vote required submission of further paperwork on my behalf,” he said.

Although the issue was resolved for him, Mr Sen expressed concern about citizens who were similarly unable to access assistance.

“Although I could happily say (like the Beatles), ‘Oh, I’m getting by with a little help from my friends,’ I was worried about others who didn’t have as many loyal friends. My friends helped me get through the strict gates of the tough ECI,” he said.

The non-newborn was summoned for the hearing after “logical inconsistency” was flagged by the ECI due to the age difference between him and his mother Amita Sen in the electoral rolls.

Asked whether SIR could provide political advantage to any political party in West Bengal, Mr. Sen said he could not give a definitive assessment and underlined that democratic integrity should be paramount.

“I am not an election expert, so I cannot answer the question definitively. Those who know more have told me that the BJP will benefit from incomplete accounting.”

“I don’t know if this is true or not but the point is that the ECI should not insist on a flawed regulation and force our proud democracy to make an unnecessary mistake, no matter whose benefit it is,” he said.

On the segments of society most vulnerable to exclusion during SIR, Mr. Sen highlighted the structural disadvantages faced by poor citizens.

“An obvious answer must be the underprivileged and the poor. It is often difficult for the weaker sections of society to obtain the documents necessary to enter the new electoral register.

“The class bias that may arise in having to obtain and show certain documents required to enter the new voter list will tend to work against the poor,” Mr. Sen said.

It was published – 24 January 2026 14:39 IST