Kolkata: With West Bengal’s 2026 Assembly polls still a year away, political tempers are already flaring over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR 2.0) of voter lists, igniting a fierce TMC-BJP showdown.
Rolled out across 12 states and Union Territories, the drive has sparked accusations of voter tampering from the ruling Trinamool Congress, while the BJP hails it as a purge of fake entries.
Sensing a conspiracy, TMC leaders assert that the BJP orchestrated the exercise to disenfranchise genuine voters. In a fiery press conference, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee thundered, “The game was started by the BJP, but we will end it.” He accused the poll panel of insulting Bengalis by branding them “Bangladeshis” and vowed mass protests: “If even one voter’s name is struck off, a lakh of us will lay siege to the Commission’s office — let Amit Shah and Delhi Police try stopping us.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee echoed the outrage on October 10, slamming “BJP-controlled central agencies” for meddling in everything from culture to elections. “They think Delhi dictates all; if they persist, the dark history of riots and dirty tricks will resurface,” she warned.
The BJP, unfazed, dismissed TMC’s fury as panic over exposing “fake voters”. “Mamata Banerjee is rattled by the cleanup,” quipped a senior leader, accusing the ruling party of shielding infiltrators.
Opposition to SIR echoes in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, but Bengal’s rhetoric hints at a protracted battle. As barbs fly, the voter list row threatens to overshadow the campaign trail — will it reshape the electoral map?