A delegation from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is scheduled to meet with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday, November 28, 2025, amidst ongoing protests regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The meeting, set to take place at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi at 11:00 AM, was approved by the ECI following a request from TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Derek O'Brien.
The core of the issue revolves around the SIR 2.0 implementation in West Bengal, with the TMC raising concerns about its structural soundness and potential impact on voters. TMC has been critical of the SIR process, alleging it is being carried out in a way that favors a particular political party. They also claim that the rushed nature of the revision, compressing a two-year task into two months, is causing significant problems.
Adding to the tensions, a disagreement has emerged regarding the size of the TMC delegation. While the TMC initially requested permission to send a ten-member delegation of MPs to provide a "reality check" on the ground situation, the ECI has limited the attendance to five members. The ECI, in its response to TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, stated that it welcomes regular interaction with political parties for constructive dialogue and would allow an authorized representative along with four other members. The TMC, however, is insisting on sending a larger team. Derek O'Brien has emphasized that the delegation members are elected representatives, unlike the ECI appointees. Abhishek Banerjee, TMC national general secretary, has challenged the ECI to telecast the meeting live.
Adding another layer of complexity, booth-level officers (BLOs) are also staging protests concerning the workload associated with the SIR. These protests, organized by the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, are taking place outside the office of the West Bengal chief electoral officer in Kolkata and are expected to continue until December 4.
Mamata Banerjee has also voiced her concerns directly to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, highlighting the practical difficulties and potential human cost of the SIR process. She pointed out critical gaps in training, a lack of clarity on required documentation, and the difficulty of reaching voters amidst their daily lives. She also flagged concerns about a directive from the state Chief Electoral Officer to hire data entry operators for a year and a proposal to set up district data centers. The TMC has also linked the SIR to multiple deaths in the state, including those of Booth Level Officers and ordinary citizens, even demanding that the ECI take responsibility. They claim that 34 people in the state have died during the SIR exercise.
The Calcutta High Court is also scheduled to hear a petition demanding court-monitored SIR in West Bengal. Against this backdrop, the meeting between the TMC delegation and the ECI takes on significant importance. It remains to be seen whether the two sides can find common ground and address the concerns surrounding the SIR process in West Bengal.
