BJP deleted 90 lakh voters’ names during SIR to grab power in Bengal, alleges Mamata; vows legal action
The Statesman | 10 April 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP of removing over 90 lakh names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), alleging it was an attempt to influence the upcoming assembly elections. She asserted that her party would challenge the deletions in court and remained confident of returning to power.
Addressing a rally at Haroa Circus Ground in Minakhan, North 24 Parganas, Banerjee claimed that large-scale deletions were carried out to tilt the electoral balance. “You deleted names of over 90 lakh people to grab power in Bengal, but we will win,” she said, adding that her government would take legal steps to ensure that all affected voters are restored to the rolls.
PM Modi’s ‘poribortan wave’ claim
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress, reiterating his criticism of a “nirmam sarkaar” in the state. Speaking at a public rally, Modi said there was growing public support for the BJP and called it a sign of an impending political shift in West Bengal.
The Prime Minister invoked the BJP’s performance in the 2021 Assembly elections, particularly highlighting the victory of Suvendu Adhikari over Banerjee in Nandigram.
He said the “change” witnessed earlier would now spread across the state. “The path shown by Medinipur and Nandigram is now being followed across Bengal. What happened there will be repeated in Bhabanipur and beyond,” Modi said, projecting a broader “poribortan” wave.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
With allegations of voter list manipulation on one side and claims of a sweeping mandate on the other, the political contest in West Bengal is intensifying. The developments signal a sharply polarised campaign as both the TMC and BJP gear up for a crucial electoral showdown.