BJP and Trinamool Congress Clash Over West Bengal Voter List Revision Process

Trinamool has declared that they will oppose the Special Intensive Revision both through street protests and in Delhi.

New Delhi:

A major political confrontation has erupted between the BJP and West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress over the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, with both parties accusing each other of manipulating voter registrations.

The situation intensified after a BJP delegation met with Election Commission officials in Delhi and presented a comprehensive memorandum highlighting concerns about what they described as "widespread misuse of documentation mechanisms" throughout West Bengal.

Trinamool National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has taken a strong stance against the revision, announcing that the SIR will face opposition "both on the streets and in Delhi."

He revealed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead what he termed a "historic" rally on Tuesday and encouraged citizens to participate in the protest.

According to Banerjee, the SIR has created panic across the state, allegedly resulting in six suicide cases since the announcement of the revision, with another individual from Dinhata requiring hospitalization. He characterized the process as a "BJP ploy to select voters."

Illustrating his concerns, Banerjee mentioned the case of one Sonali Khatun who was reportedly "pushed to Bangladesh" despite her parents' names appearing in the 2002 SIR list. "Another, Sweety Khatun - her parents are on the draft roll but have been tagged as Bangladeshis," he stated.

Challenging BJP's citizenship stance, Banerjee remarked, "Yesterday Amit Shah said those not born in India cannot cast their vote. Then how has LK Advani voted here?"

Trinamool has also deployed Booth Level Agents to monitor Booth Level Officers and established "war rooms" involving MPs and MLAs to provide assistance to voters.

The BJP has firmly rejected Trinamool's allegations. Party leader and West Bengal election co-incharge Biplab Deb told NDTV after meeting with Election Commission officials that Trinamool was "linking anyone who dies in hospital due to any illness to the SIR."

Amit Malviya, BJP's co-incharge for West Bengal, accused the Mamata Banerjee administration of "issuing illegal documents to infiltrators," claiming that Trinamool was "shaken by the announcement of SIR."

"We have seen how the Trinamool is afraid because of the illegal documents they have issued to illegal infiltrators. BLOs are demanding security, which itself shows the scale of manipulation," he asserted.

Malviya also emphasized that the Election Commission had assured the party that "each and every document will be verified thoroughly."

The BJP delegation, comprising Samik Bhattacharya, Amit Malviya, and Biplab Deb, has urged the Commission to consider West Bengal as a "special case" due to "large-scale issuance of backdated and forged documents," allegedly facilitated through state initiatives such as Duare Sarkar.

The party has proposed specific recommendations for document scrutiny, including:

Birth Certificates: Rejecting those issued after June 24, 2025, citing concerns about "surge in delayed and backdated registrations."

Permanent Residence Certificates: Accepting only those issued and signed by Group-A officers, with additional cross-verification with the issuing authority.

Forest Rights Certificates: Considering valid only those issued before April 2, 2025, due to alleged irregularities in official appointments.

OBC-A Caste Certificates: Excluding certificates issued between 2011 and 2024, claiming many were provided to "illegal infiltrators."

Family Registers: Rejecting registers prepared after June 24, 2025, and those under MGNREGA, citing reliability concerns.

The BJP also suggested that Land Khatians (Records of Rights) registered before the first Duare Sarkar camp in 2020 and PROFLAL registrations made prior to the last SIR should be considered valid supporting documents.