Bengal: Mamata Banerjee alleges BJP deleted 90 lakh names during SIR to ‘grab power’ in state

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that, to “grab power” in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party had deleted more than 90 lakh names from the electoral rolls during the special intensive revision, PTI reported.

Addressing a public rally at Minakhan in North 24 Parganas district, the Trinamool Congress chief said: “You [the BJP] deleted names of over 90 lakh people to grab power in Bengal, but we will win.”

The Assembly elections in the state will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

Nearly 91 lakh voters had been removed from West Bengal’s voter lists as part of the revision of the electoral rolls ahead of the elections, The Statesman had reported on Tuesday citing data from the Election Commission.

The deletions represented nearly 11.9% of the state’s electorate of 7.6 crore that existed before the voter roll revision process began.

The exercise concluded after judicial officers adjudicated about 60 lakh claims and objections. However, voters who were removed during the adjudication process could appeal in 19 tribunals set up for the purpose.

On Thursday, Banerjee said that the elections were “a fight for the survival of the people and the existence of Bengal,” the news agency reported. She urged voters to remain vigilant and participate in the elections to safeguard the rights and identity of Bengal’s residents.

The chief minister also claimed that many were being harassed in BJP-ruled states for speaking in Bengali. She accused the Hindutva party of terming the language as “foreign” and describing Bengali speakers as “infiltrators”.

Since April 2025, the police in several states ruled by the BJP have been detaining Bengali-speaking persons – mostly Muslims – and asking them to prove that they are Indian citizens.

Several persons have been forced into Bangladesh after they allegedly could not prove their Indian citizenship. In some cases, persons who were mistakenly sent to Bangladesh returned to the country after state authorities in India proved that they were Indians.

‘Systematic mass disenfranchisement’: CPI(M) writes to EC

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday told the Election Commission that the special intensive revision in West Bengal had led to “algorithm-driven exclusions rather than transparent, field-based verification”.

In a letter to the chief election commissioner, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby raised “grave concern and strong protest” about the large-scale deletion of voters from the electoral rolls in the state after the exercise.

Citing reports of the deletion of more than 90 lakh voters from the final electoral rolls, Baby said that this amounted to a denial of the right to vote guaranteed under Article 326 of the Constitution.

He noted that the CPI(M) had argued right from the beginning of the exercise that it represented a “systematic exercise in mass disenfranchisement”.

The letter said: “Unlike earlier exercises, the voter was treated as a suspect and the burden to prove otherwise rested on them.”

Baby added that equally troubling was the “opacity” of the entire exercise.

“Lists were released in non-analysable formats, preventing public scrutiny,” he said. “Independent analyses, indicate that marginalised communities, particularly Muslims, women, and economically vulnerable sections, have been disproportionately impacted.”

The right to vote is a core democratic right integral to equality and dignity, the letter said.

It added: “Its large-scale denial, particularly to marginalised sections, constitutes a serious assault on the precepts of the Constitution itself.”

SIR in West Bengal

West Bengal is also among the 12 states and Union Territories where the special intensive revision of the electoral roll was undertaken.

On February 28, the Election Commission published the final electoral roll for West Bengal, showing that more than 61 lakh voters had been excluded. However, the process continued with about 60 lakh “doubtful and pending” cases remaining under adjudication based on their objections to their exclusions from the draft rolls published in December.

On February 20, the Supreme Court ordered that judicial officers of the rank of district judge or additional district judge be appointed to help complete the revision exercise in the state.

On March 10, the top court ordered the formation of appellate tribunals composed of former High Court chief justices and judges to hear appeals against exclusions. A person whose claim for inclusion in the electoral rolls has been rejected by a judicial officer can approach the tribunal.

Also read:

• Millions of Bengalis may lose their vote. Not over citizenship but due to clerical errors

• Mehebub Sheikh was forced into Bangladesh – but still made it to the Bengal SIR voter list