‘Election Commission bulldozing people of Bengal’: What Mamata Banerjee said during SC hearing on SIR – Top quotes

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday appeared in the Supreme Court during the crucial hearing on the petitions challenging the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

The chief minister had also moved an interlocutory application seeking permission to appear and argue in person.

Banerjee was personally present in the courtroom one along with her lawyers.

Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission and the chief electoral officers of West Bengal in connection with the SIR matter. The next hearing of the matter is 9 February.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi heard the petitions of Banerjee and three others filed by Mostari Banu and TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen.

Banerjee made arguments before the Supreme Court during a hearing.

The Chief Minister explained that the SIR is being used almost entirely as a deletion exercise. her party said. Women who changed their surnames after marriage, people who shifted homes, and poor families buying small flats are having their names removed without due process, later justified under vague labels such as “logical discrepancy” or “incorrect mapping,” in clear violation of court directions, the chief minister said.

Welcoming the Court’s order to accept Aadhaar as valid proof, Mamata Banerjee questioned why Bengal alone was denied documents accepted elsewhere, such as domicile or caste certificates.

“Why was Bengal singled out on the eve of elections?” she asked.

She also flagged the urgency imposed after 24 years, rushed through in three months, during harvest season and peak migration, and placed on record the human cost: over 100 deaths, BLO fatalities, and widespread hospitalisation, the TMC said.

“If this was genuine reform,” she asked, “why not Assam? Why only Bengal?”

Mamata Banerjee conveyed that this was not a political battle, but a constitutional appeal made when all other doors had closed.

Having written to the Election Commission multiple times without a response, Mamata Banerjee stated that her presence before the Court was driven by the belief that justice must remain accessible when institutions fail to listen.

Some Mamata Banerjee quotes based:

-We are not getting justice anywhere. I personally wrote six letters but never got a reply from the EC

- Their process is only for deletion not for inclusion

-Unplanned mismatch - That’s their process

- When a daughter is married, she changes her surname, even that is a mismatch for EC

- Daughters who have shifted to their in-laws’ place, even their names have been deleted

- Sometimes, poor people shift homes/ change addresses for work, but under the category of ‘logical discrepancy’ even their names have been deleted

- Sir, you had allowed the Aadhar card to be used for verification. TheBengal people were so happy with your order. But now the EC is violating court order and not allowing that document alone. They are demanding a whole set of documents and not allowing even state certificates

- EC is categorically targeting Bengal.

- A process that takes 2 years, they (EC) want to complete it in 3 months!

- Bengal is being targeted. Why is this not happening in Assam? Why not Assam?

- Micro-observers are deleting all the names. They are not the official authority, but still they are deleting names

- We are cooperating with them (EC). We have given EC whatever they have asked for.

- In the first phase, they’ve already deleted 58 lakh names

- Now, in the second phase, 1 crore 30 lakhs are being targeted

- To bulldoze the people of Bengal, they have appointed micro-observers only in our state - Why?

- My humble request is that the 'logical discrepancy' cases should NOT be deleted. They should be re-examined

- The final authority on deletion should not lie with micro observers.

-I will save the democracy.