In letter to CEC, Mamata Banerjee raises ‘deeply problematic’ issues of DEPs hiring plan, and private polling booths

In a strongly-worded letter to CEC Gyanesh Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday raised two “deeply problematic” issues amid the hullabaloo over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and urged the poll panel to examine them with utmost seriousness, impartiality and transparency.

The first issue she raised was the hiring of private data entry operators for SIR and other election-related work. “It has recently come to light that the CEO, West Bengal, has directed District Election Officers (DEOs) not to engage contractual data entry operators and Bangla Sahayata Kendra (BSK) staff for SIR-related or other election-related data work. Simultaneously, the CEO’s office has floated a Request for Proposal (RfP) for hiring 1,000 Data Entry Operators and 50 Software Developers for a period of one year,” CM Banerjee wrote.

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“This raises serious concerns,” she said.

Pointing out that the district offices already have a substantial number of competent professionals performing such functions, the Bengal CM asked, “What necessitates the CEO’s initiative to outsource the same work through an external agency for a full year?”

Another issue she highlighted was that of a proposal to set up polling booths at private housing complexes. She said, “Polling stations have always been —and must remain — located in government or semi-government institutions, preferably within a 2 km radius, to ensure accessibility and neutrality. Private buildings are typically avoided for clear reasons: they compromise fairness, violate established norms, and create discriminatory distinctions between privileged residents and the general public — the haves and have-nots.”

She asked CEC Kumar if this was being done under pressure from a political party to advance their partisan interests.

Asserting that the implications of such a decision would have severe impact on the fairness of the electoral process, Banerjee urged him “to examine these issues with utmost seriousness, impartiality, and transparency.”

“It is essential that the dignity, neutrality, and credibility of the Commission remain above reproach and are not compromised under any circumstances,” she concluded.