West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a fierce agitation against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that it is being used by the BJP and the Election Commission to manipulate Bengal’s voter list ahead of the 2026 state elections.
Banerjee accused the central government, under BJP rule, of abusing “Kurshibabu” to deprive the people of Bengal of their voting rights in the name of SIR. “The right to vote is not a favour, it is a constitutional right,” she said, adding that the exercise is part of a larger plan to undermine democracy and target Bengal’s voters.
Leading a massive rally from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s statue on Red Road to Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Banerjee paid heartfelt tribute to those she claimed had lost their lives amid the panic caused by the SIR drive. She also offered condolences to their families who joined the march.
“For political gain, the BJP is trying to undermine the basic rights of the people,” Banerjee declared during her address to thousands of supporters. “Do not be frightened. For us, saving human lives comes first. We will not allow even a single lawful citizen’s rights to be eroded,” she said.
The Chief Minister alleged that the SIR and related voter-list revisions were being used to target Bengalis and minorities by branding them as “Bangladeshis” in other states and persecuting Matua, Rajbanshi, and Adivasi communities within Bengal. “We will protect Bengal with our last drop of blood. The BJP could not silence Bengal before, and it will not be able to in the future,” Banerjee asserted. Calling the SIR a “conspiracy to divide and silence Bengal,” she vowed not to remain silent “in this sacred land of communal harmony” until such divisive politics ends.
Meanwhile, the BJP dismissed Banerjee’s protest as a sign of fear, saying the SIR is a standard Election Commission exercise aimed at cleaning up electoral rolls by removing fake and deceased voters. “Mamata’s agitation shows her fear of losing ground,” a BJP spokesperson said, emphasizing that the process is purely administrative and not political.
The ongoing standoff over the SIR has reignited tensions in Bengal’s charged pre-election climate, setting the stage for a fierce political confrontation ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls as both the TMC and BJP accuse each other of undermining democratic values.
