Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday said the Supreme Court’s recent order on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal failed to address the concerns raised by the state government, asserting that “specific directions” from the apex court were necessary to compel the Election Commission (EC) to respond to those grievances.

Describing the SIR exercise in West Bengal as one that “weakened democratic participation” and was intended to “alter the electoral balance in the state”, Chidambaram said he was hopeful that the court would issue further instructions to the poll body.

“The challenge before the Hon'ble Supreme Court was the last effort to introduce transparency and accountability in SIR. An order has been passed by the court to the effect that it will not allow any ‘impediment’ to the SIR process and extended the deadline to complete the process," the former finance minister told PTI in an interview.

"This order does not address the grievances brought to the court by the Government of West Bengal. Specific orders or directions are required to make the EC address those grievances. Whether the Hon'ble Supreme Court will pass further orders, I do not know. I sincerely hope that further orders/directions will be issued to the EC,” he said.

Earlier this week, a Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria extended the deadline for filing objections in the West Bengal SIR case by a week from February 14, while making it clear that the revision process should not be obstructed. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 25.

The court’s order followed petitions filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and others. Banerjee, who became the first serving Chief Minister to argue personally before the apex court, urged judicial intervention to “save democracy”, alleging that Bengal was being unfairly targeted and its people bulldozed.

Chidambaram argued that electoral roll revision transcends routine administration and strikes at the foundation of constitutional democracy and federalism.

“It goes to the root of democracy, federalism and the dictum ‘government of the people’. If large numbers of people are disenfranchised, how can it be an election to elect a government of the people? The autonomy of the EC must serve the cause of democracy,” he asserted.

Calling for a standardised and consultative approach to such exercises, the senior Congress leader said a clear framework was essential to avoid recurring disputes.

“Of course, there must be a template arrived at after wide consultation with the stakeholders, especially the political parties. The Census exercise, with its questionnaire, methodology and training of enumerators, is a good example to follow,” he said.

On the broader conduct of SIR across states, Chidambaram maintained that his criticism was not confined to West Bengal.

“My view on SIR in all states is the same. SIR did not have a consensual template; it was hurried, the EC made changes arbitrarily, and it was not a transparent exercise that would win the confidence of people. It weakened democratic participation,” he said.

Responding to a question on whether the revision could influence the electoral outcome ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls, he remarked, “It was intended to affect the electoral balance. How much it has achieved, I cannot say until the final rolls are published.”

Identifying the groups most likely to be affected by the revision, Chidambaram said, “Obviously, the minorities, the internal migrants and the poor (especially the homeless).”

Addressing Banerjee’s allegations linking the SIR exercise to a reported loss of lives in the state, he said the EC must bear responsibility for the fallout, while refraining from commenting directly on the claims.

“The fault lies in that there was no consensual template for conducting SIR. Contrast SIR with the decennial Census conducted by the Census Commission for over a century, and the results are there before you to see. I cannot comment on the alleged loss of lives,” he said.

On the Congress party’s decision to contest all 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal independently in the upcoming elections, Chidambaram said the state unit was best equipped to determine its political strategy.

“The Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) knows best about the political situation on the ground. I cannot comment on the final decision taken by the AICC leadership,” he said.

The Congress central leadership has recently announced that the party will contest the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections on its own, departing from its earlier strategy of allying with the Left parties in the state.