As the spectrum of the deletion of close to 90 lakh voters from the electoral roll in West Bengal came to fore on Tuesday following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of targeting the Matuas and minorities, saying they were “picked and removed like lice”.
The BJP, on the other hand, claimed that the exercise carried out by the Election Commission had exposed the number of “Muslim infiltrators” in the state.
Addressing an election rally in Chakdaha in Matua-dominated Nadia district, the TMC supremo alleged that the deletions were neither random nor administrative, but a deliberate attempt to target social groups seen as politically inconvenient to the BJP.
“They (the BJP government at the Centre) gave citizenship to those who came here in 2024. But they delete the names of those who have been staying here for ages. Why this discrimination? Why are Matuas being targeted? Why are Rajbanshis and minorities being targeted? Do you think people do not understand this?” the TMC chief said, adding, “I promise I will not let a single person get driven out by the BJP”.
Stating that she and her party will continue to fight against the deletion of genuine voters’ names, the TMC chief said, “I went to the Supreme Court to fight against the wrongful deletion of voters. As per the list published, 32 lakh names have been retained. We will fight for the remaining in the Appellate Tribunal for those legitimate voters who are still out of the voters’ list.”
Stating that countless voters have been deleted from minority-dominated Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, South 24 Parganas district, she said Matua electors have been deleted in large numbers in Bagda, Haringhata, Gaighata, and Chakdaha.
Her charge found some resonance in the EC’s district-wise figures. In percentage terms, Nadia — which has a substantial Matua population — recorded the maximum deletions, with 77.86 per cent of the adjudication cases ending in removal. North 24 Parganas, another Matua-heavy district, saw 55.08 per cent of such cases deleted.
“In Bhabanipur, they initially deleted 40,000 electors. Now, it remains to be seen how many of them have been retained. The party will legally assist those who have appealed before the Tribunal,” said the chief minister, who is contesting from Bhabanipur and is being challenged by BJP leader and aide-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari.
She also sought to broaden the issue beyond communities traditionally seen as the TMC’s support base. She claimed that names of around 300 members of the Missionaries of Charity had disappeared from the rolls, along with those of monks associated with the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha.
Calling the election a battle for saving democracy, language, and cultural identity of West Bengal, the TMC chief said, “We will have to reduce the BJP to zero. This election is a battle to save democracy, your identity, and your language.”
The BJP, however, dismissed Mamata’s charges as an attempt to shield illegal immigrants. Adhikari said the TMC was worried because the SIR had begun to expose what he described as its “infiltrator vote bank”. “Those who are genuine voters can later submit Form 6 and apply. But why should Bangladeshi Muslims who are infiltrators remain on the electoral rolls?” Adhikari said.
“The Hindu refugees have nothing to worry. The SIR was meant to clean the electoral rolls. TMC is worried because its infiltrator vote bank is under threat,” he added.
Meanwhile, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP-led Centre of hurting the “pride and self-esteem” of the Rajbanshi community in north Bengal by failing to fulfil key poll promises.
Addressing a meeting in Natabari constituency in Cooch Behar district, the TMC MP alleged that the Centre has not acted on the state government’s demand to include the Rajbanshi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and thus hurt the “pride and self-esteem” of members of the community.
Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of giving false promises to the members of the community, who comprise a large segment of voters in Cooch behar district, he said, “Shah had promised to raise a ‘Narayani Sena’ battalion of the Indian Army from the community members in 2019, 2021 and 2024 poll campaigns, but the Centre is yet to act on it.”
“BJP leaders like Shah describe Rajbanshis as friends when he comes to their area to seek votes for BJP candidates and gives lots of promises, but once the polls are over and he is back in Delhi, he forgets about the community. This is true regarding Shah’s professed love for all the communities, including Matuas. This shows the true colour of deceptive BJP,” he said.
Descendants of the Koch dynasty, Rajbanshis are the largest Scheduled Caste group in north Bengal, primarily spread over Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Darjeeling districts, and have historically faced economic hardships on account of their involvement in agriculture as sharecroppers.