Amartya Sen caught in SIR row over spelling error, TMC slams EC

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been issued a notice by the Election Commission (EC) for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing for a spelling error in the enumeration form, with Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee accusing the poll body of systematically targeting prominent citizens of West Bengal. 

However, EC sources told NDTV that Sen would not be required to appear for a hearing as it is only related to a spelling error. 

Sen casts his ballot in Shantiniketan, the home of Rabindranath Tagore, where he last voted in 2014 and maintains an active voter ID.

Banerjee, at a rally in Birbhum, Sen’s home district, said the SIR exercise reflects a “BJP-ECI nexus” aimed at harassing Bengal’s most accomplished residents. 

The Trinamool leader pointed to notices issued to other high-profile personalities, including India pacer Mohammed Shami and actor-turned-politician Dev. “It’s an attempt to discredit and harass everyone,” Banerjee said, calling on party supporters to “un-map the BJP from Bengal” ahead of the state’s upcoming assembly elections.

Mohammed Shami also served notice 

Mohammed Shami and his brother Mohammed Kaif received SIR notices on Monday, January 5, from electoral authorities in Kolkata’s Jadavpur area, requiring them to appear before the assistant electoral registration officer. Though born in Uttar Pradesh, Shami has been registered as a voter in the Jadavpur Assembly constituency for years.

Shami’s notice, too, stemmed from incorrect filling of the enumeration form, with discrepancies in voter mapping between Shami’s UP birthplace and his brother’s Bengal voter registration.

The summons comes amid growing controversy over the SIR process in West Bengal, which began on December 16, 2025. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressing concerns over procedural lapses and alleged violations of due process.Over 58 lakh names have been deleted from the SIR draft rolls published in December. The final voter list for West Bengal is scheduled to be published on February 14.