Mamata Banerjee refuses to fill SIR form, calls it an insult to citizenship

India News : With the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for next year, political heat in the state has intensified over the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list. In the midst of this controversy, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a strong statement, revealing that she has not filled out the SIR form and does not intend to do so.

Banerjee said she should not be required to “prove” her citizenship after decades of public service. “I have not filled the form yet. Why should I? I have been a Union Minister three times, a Member of Parliament seven times, and with your blessings, Chief Minister three times. Now I must prove that I am a citizen? This is as humiliating as rubbing one’s nose on the ground,” she said.

Earlier, addressing a rally in Krishnanagar, Nadia district, Banerjee alleged that the BJP and the central government were attempting to manipulate the voters’ list on a massive scale ahead of the 2026 state elections. She accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of “directly guiding efforts to remove 1.5 crore names” from the electoral roll.

The Chief Minister further referred to reports stating that individuals who submitted the names of their grandparents as supporting documents were being summoned for hearings, and that their names risked being removed from the final roll. “We hear that those who gave their grandparents’ names will now be called, and the plan is to delete their names through these hearings,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission clarified that constitutional office-holders, including Chief Ministers, are categorized as “marked electors,” meaning they are not required to submit the SIR form like ordinary citizens. This category includes the Prime Minister, all Chief Ministers, and other key constitutional post holders.

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The first phase of Bengal’s SIR process concludes today, Thursday. Draft rolls will be published on December 16, followed by hearings and verification through December and January. The final electoral roll is expected to be published in mid-February.

The controversy has added a new layer of tension to the state’s political landscape, marking the beginning of an intense pre-election season.