West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC candidate from Bhabanipur Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the party will move court if the names of valid voters are not restored to the voter list after the special intensive review (SIR) process.
Mamata Banerjee filed her nomination for the 2026 state assembly elections from Bhabanipur assembly constituency at the Survey Building on Wednesday.
Mamata Banerjee is contesting from Bhabanipur seat, where she will once again face BJP leader and leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.
Addressing the gathering after filing his nomination, the Chief Minister said, “I am deeply saddened that many names have been deleted. This was mentioned in the Supreme Court order. After filing a petition in the court, some names were restored as per the order, which included names of pending cases.”
He said, “About 32 lakh names have been restored, but the remaining 58 lakh names have not been opened yet. Some names may have been validly deleted, like deceased voters, but about 27.6 lakh cases are still pending. I believe everyone should have the right to vote. If their names are not restored, many people will not be able to vote. We will move the court again if necessary.”
Expressing confidence in TMC’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, she said, “I have been living here since childhood, everything of mine belongs here. I thank the people of Bhabanipur and salute them. I have filed my nomination and wish all Trinamool Congress candidates victory. We will form the government. I have many more programmes. Please take care of yourself this summer, stay healthy.”
Bhabanipur may see a high-voltage confrontation between two senior leaders.
Adhikari had challenged Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram in the 2021 West Bengal elections, where he won by 1,956 votes. After Mamata Banerjee’s defeat, the TMC supremo contested the bypoll from Bhabanipur after MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay resigned from the seat.
Voting for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
