SUVENDU ADHIKARI DEFENDS CEC GYANESH KUMAR AMID SIR CONTROVERSY

September 28, 2026

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has defended Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the ongoing political dispute over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Adhikari said decisions concerning the exercise were taken collectively by the three-member Election Commission and were not made by the CEC alone.

Addressing reporters in Kolkata, Adhikari referred to a recent meeting between Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, saying the meeting and the commission's subsequent statement demonstrated that the SIR decisions had the approval of all three commissioners. The Election Commission has maintained that its final decisions on the exercise were unanimous.

Adhikari also criticised opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, over their objections to the voter-roll revision. He questioned why the exercise was being opposed in West Bengal while similar electoral-roll revision had been accepted in Kerala. He further alleged that the deletion of 27 lakh names in the Bengal SIR was linked to a judicial process following directions of the Supreme Court, rather than being the responsibility of the BJP or the Election Commission.

The remarks come amid intensified opposition demands for action against Gyanesh Kumar. Opposition parties have raised concerns over the conduct of the Election Commission and the SIR process, while the commission has continued to defend the procedure and its decision-making process.