New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written once again to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that errors arising from artificial intelligence based digitisation of old electoral data are causing widespread hardship to genuine voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state.
In her fifth communication since the revision process began, Banerjee claimed that serious inaccuracies emerged during the digitisation of the 2002 voters’ list. She said the use of AI tools led to large scale mismatches in electors’ personal details, resulting in many legitimate voters being wrongly flagged as having logical discrepancies. According to her, these errors are now forcing citizens to repeatedly prove their identity despite having already undergone corrections through established procedures in the past.
The chief minister accused the Election Commission of disregarding its own statutory mechanisms followed over the last two decades. She said voters were being compelled to re establish their credentials even after earlier corrections made through quasi judicial hearings, calling the approach arbitrary and contrary to constitutional principles.
Banerjee also raised concerns about procedural lapses, stating that proper acknowledgements were not being issued for documents submitted during the revision exercise. She described the process as fundamentally flawed and criticised what she termed a mechanical and data driven hearing system that lacked sensitivity and human judgment. According to her, the absence of a humane approach undermines democratic values and erodes public trust in constitutional institutions.
Highlighting what she described as the human cost of the exercise, the chief minister claimed that the process had already led to 77 deaths, four suicide attempts and several cases of serious illness requiring hospitalisation. She attributed these incidents to fear, intimidation and excessive workload caused by what she called an unplanned and poorly executed exercise.
Banerjee also condemned the alleged harassment of prominent citizens, stating that several well known public figures were subjected to unnecessary scrutiny. She further criticised the treatment of women voters, noting that many who had changed their surnames after marriage were being summoned to prove their identity, which she described as socially insensitive and deeply insulting.
Urging immediate corrective steps, Banerjee called on the Election Commission to address the issues without delay, end what she termed harassment of citizens and officials, and ensure that democratic rights are protected throughout the electoral revision process.
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