The importance of SIR in the remaking of an authentic electoral roll can hardly be overstated. If, as some estimates suggest, the final rolls lead to the deletion of some 80 lakh or more fraudulent names, its impact on the electoral outcome will be significant. In a tight election, it could even determine who forms a government
Judging from reactions outside West Bengal, the endorsements of Mamata Banerjee’s flamboyance in the Supreme Court last week owed more to the dislike of Prime Minister Modi than the merits of the case. Apart from establishing a precedent of a sitting chief minister personally arguing her case before the highest court, there is yet nothing to suggest that Mamata’s demand for scrapping the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bengal’s electoral rolls has made any meaningful progress.
However, what raised her standing among the orphaned supporters of the now-fractured INDIA grouping was her readiness to take her fight to levels that others would shy away from. Mamata has elevated her forthcoming electoral battle to a national issue—at least among those who view Bengal from a safe distance.
However, what raised her standing among the orphaned supporters of the now-fractured INDIA grouping was her readiness to take her fight to levels that others would shy away from. Mamata has elevated her forthcoming electoral battle to a national issue—at least among those who view Bengal from a safe distance.