West Bengal CM writes to CEC asking whether initiatives taken are at the behest of a political party

Raising questions about certain initiatives issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote another letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, November 24, 2025, asking whether such measures were taken “at the behest of a political party serving lucrative interests”.

Ms. Banerjee’s letter raised objections on two key points: the Request for Proposals (RfP) submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office for the recruitment of data entry operators and software developers for a period of one year, and the proposal to set up polling stations within private residential complexes.

“What makes it necessary for the CEO to attempt to outsource the same work to an external agency for a year when regional offices already have a significant number of competent professionals performing such functions?” the Prime Minister asked.

A few days ago, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari had stated that the EC directive was clear that contract staff cannot be involved in data entry work for the ongoing SIR.

In the letter, Ms. Banerjee wrote: “So why is the CEO’s office assuming this role on behalf of field offices? What significant difference is expected in terms of terms of service or contractual obligations between those already deployed and those to be recruited through the proposed agency? Is this practice being carried out at the behest of a political party to serve vested interests?” He added that the timing and form of this request for proposals certainly raise legitimate doubts.

This is the second letter sent by the Trinamool Congress chief to the CEC. In her letter dated November 20, Ms. Banerjee had urged Mr. Kumar to stop the SIR, pointing out that the human cost of conducting the exercise had become unbearable.

The second issue raised by the Prime Minister in his letter to the CEC was the proposal to establish voting centers in private residential complexes.

Calling the move highly problematic, Ms. Banerjee said polling booths should remain in government or semi-government institutions, preferably within a radius of 2 km, to ensure accessibility and impartiality.

“Why is such a move being considered? Again, is this being done under pressure to advance the partisan interests of a political party? Why? Why? Why?” The Prime Minister asked many times.

There are around 80,000 polling booths in the state and the EC is in the process of adding another 14,000 polling booths before the 2026 State Assembly elections.

Stating that the consequences of such a decision would seriously affect the fairness of the election process, Ms. Banerjee urged the CEC to “examine these matters with utmost seriousness, impartiality and transparency”.

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday, November 24, 2025, said party workers should aim for 100% submission of counting forms to the Election Commission. The forms were distributed by the EC to voters in West Bengal during the ongoing SIR. According to the CEO’s office, approximately 99% of census forms have been distributed throughout the State.

At the virtual meeting attended by nearly 25,000 party leaders, the Trinamool leader said the party should not repeat the mistakes made by Opposition parties in the neighboring state and focus should be on submission of election forms.