Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged an “EC-BJP nexus” behind the deletion of 63.66 lakh names from West Bengal’s electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), claiming the exercise was aimed at benefiting the BJP ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
In her first reaction since the publication of the final post-SIR rolls on February 28, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo described the deletions as “deliberate and inhumane,” asserting that genuine voters were being struck off because the BJP “cannot win elections on its own merit.”
Speaking at a Holi programme, Banerjee said she would emerge victorious from her Assembly constituency Bhabanipur “even if there is one vote left,” despite what she termed “massive deletions.”
According to the final rolls, 63.66 lakh names, about 8.3 per cent of the electorate were deleted, reducing the state’s voter base to just over 7.04 crore. Additionally, more than 60.06 lakh voters have been placed in the “under adjudication” category, pending scrutiny in the coming weeks. The revision marks one of the most extensive electoral roll updates in the state since 2002.
With Assembly elections likely in April, the scale of the revision has intensified the political battle between the ruling TMC and the BJP.
Focus on Bhabanipur
At the centre of the controversy is Bhabanipur, considered Banerjee’s stronghold. She claimed nearly 60,000 voters had been affected in the constituency.
“Bhabanipur is a small constituency. There were only about 2.6 lakh voters. Earlier, 44,000 were excluded. This time, 14,000 more were placed ‘under adjudication’, and around 2,000 were removed due to so-called logistical discrepancies. Where are these voters?” News agency PTI quoted her as saying.
However, official figures indicate that Bhabanipur had 2.06 lakh voters at the start of the SIR process on November 4. The draft roll published on December 16 showed 44,786 deletions. The final list recorded an additional 2,324 removals, taking total deletions to 47,094. Over 14,000 names remain under adjudication.
The deletion figure is around 11,000 less than the margin of over 58,000 votes secured by Banerjee in the 2021 Bhabanipur bypoll, a coincidence that has sharpened the political narrative in the constituency.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari reacted to the final list by flashing a victory sign and remarking that “no one can save Mamata now.”
Banerjee hit back, alleging that names of TMC supporters were selectively removed and accusing unnamed BJP leaders of orchestrating the deletions through “agencies.”
“They cannot fight democratically. So, they try to grab power through bias and by finishing democracy,” she said.
Dharna from March 6
Signalling that the issue would form a key campaign plank, Banerjee announced she would stage a dharna from March 6 against the alleged “EC-BJP nexus.”
She said her government and party had approached authorities “from the Supreme Court to the Election Commission” and had cooperated with the revision process, but warned that voters would respond strongly if genuine names were excluded.
“The people of Bengal are ready to give a befitting reply to those trying to conduct elections by removing genuine voters before the polls,” she said.
In a swipe at the BJP’s ‘Poriborton Yatra’ in the state, Banerjee remarked, “This will be the party’s last yatra in Bengal.”
Calling the SIR exercise a “human issue” rather than merely a political matter, she said the pain of deletions transcended party lines.
“You may not feel the pain if your own name is there. But when your neighbour’s name is deleted, that is also your pain. Today it is theirs, tomorrow it could be yours,” she said.
Invoking Rabindranath Tagore ahead of Dol Purnima, Banerjee described her political journey as a “continuous struggle,” asserting that “human power will triumph over demonic power.”
Highlighting Bengal’s social fabric, she said the state represented Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Jains living together across caste and religious lines.
with agency inputs
