West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar requesting that the employment records from tea gardens and cinchona gardens be accepted as official proof of identity and residence for the tea garden workers, forest dwellers and plantation workers in the ongoing SIR ( Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls.

Attacking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP leader alleged that she did write to the CEC to stop the SIR but never for the tea garden workers.

Adhikari stated that he wrote the letter on behalf of the marginalised communities residing in the North Bengal regions covering districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and North & South Dinajpur.

“My humble submission to you is that, kindly recognise the employment records from Tea Gardens and Cinchona Gardens as official proofs of identity and residence for the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal,” the letter read.

According to Adhikari, a similar request was made by BJP MP Raju Bista in November 2025 to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal.

“The ongoing SIR process is crucial for ensuring inclusive and accurate voter lists, aligning with the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to facilitate universal adult suffrage. However, systemic barriers have long disenfranchised these communities and addressing them at this crucial juncture would uphold the principles of equity enshrined in our Constitution. The aforementioned districts in North Bengal are characterised by extensive tea and cinchona plantations, supporting a vast workforce of tea tribes and forest-dependent populations. These areas contribute significantly to India’s tea exports, generating billions in revenue annually and employing lakhs of workers across numerous tea estates. Yet, these workers, who form the backbone of a key agro-industry, often face exclusion from basic democratic rights due to documentation gaps,” the letter stated.

Adhikari alleged that though the Parliament enacted The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 but its implementation in the state has been negligible, thus depriving the forest communities of rightful claims to land and resources.

Slamming the CM, the BJP leader alleged, “Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly written to you (CEC) to halt the SIR exercise in order to protect the interests of the ineligible voters but has never found time to address the distress and hardships faced by eligible voters, or to make an appeal to you regarding their unfortunate situation.”

According to Adhikari, the only reliable records were those maintained by the tea and cinchona gardens themselves documenting employment, residence, and family details. “These records have historically served as de facto proof in labour disputes and welfare schemes, making them credible alternatives where standard identifications are absent,” Adhikari said.

“Despite repeated demands, these citizens have not been fully granted their land rights, leaving many without land records in their names; a situation that exacerbates their vulnerability and justifies the need for flexible documentation policies to ensure electoral inclusion,” he said. Addressing a press conference along with MP Manoj Tigga, Adhikari said , “Many of them do not have school certificates. They practically do not have any papers. Since this problem is prevalent throughout the country, the Government of India brought the Forest Rights Act for the residents of forest areas in 2006. MP Raju Bista first said that the forest rights document should be accepted among the 11-point documents of the SIR. But even after a long time, nothing has been said about this.”

“Our party MLAs from the tea garden area have also asked for the documents of the tea garden workers to be verified as per the Forest Rights Act. The name of no tea garden worker should be left out of the voter list. It is our hope that everyone’s name will be included in the complete voter list. Hopefully, the Election Commission of India will accept our reasonable request.”

Adhikari also said that he will meet the tea garden workers on January 24 to understand their problems.