With assembly elections in West Bengal just a few months away, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday intensified her attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the opposition party in the state wants to remove the names of 1.5 crore voters.
Mamata Banerjee made these comments while chairing a meeting with booth level agents (BLAs) of Trinamool Congress at the Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday. He alleged that BJP is trying to bring people here from outside for the elections.
He said, “BJP wants to remove names of 1.5 crore voters. They want to destroy democracy. I saw 50 motorcycles with Bihar registration coming to Burdwan yesterday. They are trying to bring people from outside here for the elections. All BLAs should consult MLAs, councilors and block presidents regarding SIR.”
He further said, “The mapping done by the Election Commission is blatantly wrong. Did you consider delimitation after 2002? The Election Commission is responsible for 46 deaths. The EPIC numbers of the 2002 Election Commission list and the current list do not match.”
The Election Commission on December 16 published the draft voter list following the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal, in which 58,20,899 voters (7.59 per cent) were removed due to death, disappearance or permanent migration.
According to a press release issued by the Election Commission, out of a total of 7,66,37,529 voters, 7,08,16,630 voters had submitted their census forms till December 11.
The Election Commission said that genuine voters can be re-added to the voter list during the claim and objection period from December 16 to January 15, 2026.
Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had alleged that the SIR process, which was started a few months before the elections, was being used to destabilize the state government.
Announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for those hospitalised, Banerjee accused the Center of selectively imposing SIR in non-BJP ruled states like West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Mamata Banerjee asked, “40 people have died due to SIR. An ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh has been announced. An amount of Rs 1 lakh has been fixed for those admitted to hospital. SIR was announced just three months before the elections to stop the state government from functioning. Elections are being held in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam.”
He said, “SIR will be implemented in Tamil Nadu and Kerala because BJP is not in power there. SIR is also being implemented in West Bengal because BJP is not in power there. Why is SIR not being implemented in the border states, where BJP is in power?”
The SIR exercise is being conducted in West Bengal and 11 other states and union territories. Assembly elections in the state are likely to be held in the first half of 2026.
