Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Suvendu Adhikari Defends SIR, Blames Opposition Over Bengal Deletions
West Bengal is arguing about a voter-list checking exercise called SIR.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the exercise was fair and that all important groups took part.
He accused opposition parties of spreading confusion after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the state election.
Adhikari also defended Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
He said decisions about SIR were made together by the election commissioners.
He said courts, rather than any government, were responsible for rejecting cases involving about 27 lakh voter records.
Mamata Banerjee and opposition parties have criticized the Election Commission and the SIR process.
Adhikari also attacked cooperation between Mamata’s party and the CPM.
Later, he attended a large Bhagavad Gita reading programme in Kolkata.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defended the Special Intensive Revision, calling it transparent and inclusive.
He accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation to cast doubt on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bengal election victory.
Adhikari said 27.16 lakh voter names were deleted after court proceedings involving discrepancies in electoral rolls.
He backed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying SIR decisions were taken unanimously by the Election Commission.
Adhikari also criticized Mamata Banerjee’s political cooperation with the CPM and attended a Bhagavad Gita event.
- Who
- West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, opposition parties, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and the Election Commission of India.
- What
- A political dispute over the SIR voter-roll exercise, the deletion of millions of voter records, and whether the process affected Bengal’s election result.
- When
- Adhikari made the remarks on Sunday, after Mamata Banerjee criticized the Election Commission over SIR.
- Where
- West Bengal, including a news conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state headquarters in Kolkata and an event at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
- Why
- Adhikari said the Opposition was using SIR and claims of disagreement within the Election Commission to cast doubt on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election mandate.
Adhikari and BJP Position
Mamata and Opposition Position
SIR process
Adhikari and BJP Position
Adhikari said SIR was transparent, involved all stakeholders, and was decided unanimously by the election commissioners.
Mamata and Opposition Position
Mamata Banerjee and opposition parties criticized or opposed SIR in Bengal, while the articles do not provide a detailed response to Adhikari’s defense.
Voter deletions
Adhikari and BJP Position
Adhikari said the rejection of about 27 lakh cases resulted from Supreme Court-directed judicial proceedings, not decisions by the central government, state government, or BJP.
Mamata and Opposition Position
The articles describe a political dispute over whether the deletions affected the election result but do not give the Opposition’s detailed response to Adhikari’s account.
Election result
Adhikari and BJP Position
Adhikari said the Opposition was spreading confusion to undermine the BJP’s clear mandate of 208 seats and 2.92 crore votes.
Mamata and Opposition Position
The Opposition’s criticism and SIR campaign raise doubts about the electoral process, although the articles do not state a unified opposition explanation.
- Disputed exercise
- Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of Bengal’s electoral rolls.
- Reported deletions
- The articles cite approximately 27 lakh or 27.16 lakh rejected voter-record cases.
- Discrepancy cases
- Adhikari said 27 lakh cases were rejected out of 60 lakh logical-discrepancy cases.
- Election mandate
- Adhikari said the Bharatiya Janata Party won 208 seats and received 2.92 crore votes.
- Election Commission
- Adhikari defended Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and said SIR decisions were unanimous.
- Court role
- Adhikari attributed the rejected cases to Supreme Court and judicial proceedings.
- Additional event
- Adhikari attended a Bhagavad Gita reading programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium; a mass recitation was announced for December 29.
