Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday dismissed reports that she personally received her enumeration forms from a booth-level officer (BLO) as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Taking to social media, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo termed the reports “completely false, misleading, and a deliberate attempt at spreading misinformation.”

Several media outlets, including the TMC mouthpiece Jago Bangla, had claimed that Banerjee personally accepted the forms at her residence on Wednesday. In her statement, Banerjee clarified that while a BLO had visited her premises, he did so strictly in the line of duty, as part of the regular process of verification and submission of voter details.

“A BLO had come to our area yesterday in discharge of his electoral duties. He came to the office at my residence, enquired about the number of voters in the premises, and handed over forms,” Banerjee said. She stressed that contrary to media reports, she did not come out of her residence to personally accept the forms. “This information is completely false, misleading, and a deliberate attempt at spreading misinformation,” the Chief Minister added.

Banerjee has been a vocal critic of the manner in which the SIR exercise has been implemented by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in West Bengal. She has repeatedly argued that the process has created confusion among citizens and claimed that the exercise could be used to manipulate voter lists in the state.

In her statement on Thursday, Banerjee reiterated her stance that she will not submit any enumeration form until all citizens across West Bengal have completed theirs. “I have not and will not fill up any form until all citizens in the state have completed filling up theirs,” she declared.

The SIR exercise, conducted by the Election Commission, is intended to update and revise the electoral rolls to ensure accuracy in the voter database ahead of elections. Booth-level officers, responsible for enumerating and verifying voters, typically visit residences to collect or confirm details. While this is standard practice, reports of high-profile individuals personally receiving the forms can become politically sensitive in a charged electoral environment like West Bengal.

Banerjee’s clarification comes amid heightened political tensions in the state, with the TMC positioning itself against the centralised approach of the SIR and alleging that the exercise is being used to marginalise certain voter groups. Her refusal to submit the forms personally underscores her protest and signals the TMC’s broader strategy of challenging the process publicly.

As the electoral rolls undergo revision, the Chief Minister’s remarks are likely to intensify the political discourse around the SIR exercise in West Bengal, particularly in the context of upcoming elections.