TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday, alleging that the recently announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal was aimed at “excluding genuine voters” and manipulating the political balance ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections.
Banerjee claimed that the EC’s move was politically motivated and designed to bring the state’s administration “under its control.”
“The BJP’s allied organisation, EC, has announced SIR yesterday. This process is not about inclusion but exclusion,” Banerjee said during a press conference in Kolkata.
‘EC Trying to Undermine Bengal’s Elected Government’
According to Banerjee, the Election Commission is rushing through what he described as a “mammoth task.” He noted that a similar voter roll revision in 2002 had taken two years to complete, while the current process was being fast-tracked with “political intent.”
He alleged that this was an attempt to restrict the functioning of the elected state government and influence the upcoming elections.
“The EC is trying to decide who will vote and who won’t. If the electoral rolls have discrepancies now, why was the Lok Sabha election held only one and a half years ago?” he asked.
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Banerjee also questioned why West Bengal was being singled out under the pretext of the presence of “Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.”
“If Bengal is being targeted for this, then what about other border states?” he said, pointing out that “five northeastern states share borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.”
He accused the BJP of using such narratives to discredit Bengal’s electorate and manipulate the democratic process.
TMC Threatens Massive Protest if Voter Names Are Dropped
Issuing a stern warning, Banerjee declared that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) would not tolerate any wrongful exclusion of eligible voters.
“If the name of a single eligible voter is eliminated, one lakh people from Bengal will hold a dharna outside the EC office in Delhi,” he asserted.
Despite his criticism, Banerjee remained confident about the TMC’s prospects in the 2026 Assembly elections, saying the party would “increase its seat tally” even in the face of such challenges.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a routine exercise conducted by the Election Commission to update voter lists ahead of elections. However, Banerjee’s allegations suggest growing friction between the state government and the poll panel, particularly amid heightened political stakes leading up to 2026.
Political analysts note that this confrontation could intensify as both the TMC and BJP gear up for a fiercely contested election.
