The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is considering introducing a resolution in the upcoming winter session of the West Bengal Assembly to condemn the “deaths” and widespread panic triggered by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The ruling party has accused the BJP of using the process to manipulate voter lists ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
According to TMC leaders, at least eight people have allegedly died by suicide across Bengal out of fear that their names could be deleted from the rolls amid rumours of citizenship verification and identity scrutiny under the SIR drive.
“This is not a normal voter list update. It’s a politically motivated operation meant to scare people and tamper with Bengal’s democratic fabric,” a senior TMC was quoted by PTI as saying.
Party sources said the winter session, likely to begin in mid-November, will be the last full-fledged sitting before the 2026 state elections. Discussions are underway to table a resolution condemning the fear and confusion surrounding the SIR.
“The Assembly must register its protest against the human cost of this panic and reassure citizens that their rights are safe,” another TMC MLA said.
Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, led thousands of supporters through central Kolkata. (Photo: Social media)
Another senior member of the TMC legislative party added that the proposal would serve as a “symbolic but strong response” to what the party describes as a “deliberate attempt to unsettle Bengal’s electorate.”
“Once the leadership approves it, we will bring it to the floor of the House,” he said.
Only an interim budget session is expected in February 2026, after which the state will gear up for elections.
Mamata Banerjee Leads Protest Rally in Kolkata
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee led a massive rally from Red Road to Jorasanko in Kolkata, accusing the BJP of turning the SIR into a tool of voter intimidation.
“The fear campaign has already claimed lives,” Banerjee said, urging citizens not to panic and assuring them that their voting rights remain protected.
The rally witnessed thousands of party workers waving flags, chanting slogans, and demanding a halt to what the TMC calls “silent, invisible rigging” through the voter revision process.
The move follows a similar resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly on September 29, led by the CPI(M)-headed LDF government, which expressed concern over the “social distress and exclusionary fear” caused by the same SIR exercise.
Political observers say Bengal’s likely resolution could intensify national opposition to the ongoing voter list revision, which has already sparked controversy in several states.
