Parties try to bridge SIR gap in Boom Town New Town
Times of India | 26 April 2026
Kolkata: At the gleaming gateway to the city in Rajarhat and New Town, the display face of Bengal, a quieter battle is being played out over people, who have been robbed of their voting rights.
The SIR exercise has lopped off a significant number of voters from Rajarhat-Gopalpur and Rajarhat-New Town Assembly segments, injecting uncertainty into the Trinamool bastion.
In Rajarhat-New Town, the voter base has dropped from around 3.3 lakh to 2.6 lakh after a deletion of 64,980 names, altering the arithmetic in a constituency, defined by rapid urbanisation and a large floating population. Home to 4 lakh-5 lakh residents, many of them IT professionals and many from outside Bengal, Rajarhat-New Town represents a cosmopolitan, upwardly mobile demographic. Wide avenues, planned drainage, IT and healthcare hubs, entertainment parks, malls and cultural spaces have made it a show piece for Bengal's urbanisation plan. In 2021, Trinamool secured a margin of nearly 57,000 votes here.
But Opposition parties argue the SIR exposed a different reality. BJP candidate Piyush Kanodia alleged high deletions were from slum clusters, such as Ghuni Bustee, from where "illegal immigrants from Bangladesh" left. "They voted for Trinamool. Now that they are gone, Trinamool will lose," he said, adding despite real estate growth, roads, lighting and healthcare, demanded improvement.
But Trinamool is banking on a counter-shift. Party functionaries pointed at Matua voters — 6,000-odd in New Town —who reportedly moved away from the BJP over citizenship concerns. Nabin Biswas, a Matua head who hosted Amit Shah before the 2021 polls, had urged community members to support Trinamool this time.
Trinamool MLA Tapas Chatterjee dismissed concerns about deleted votes, asserting his accessibility and development record would speak for itself. "At 1 at night or early in the morning, people know I'm there for them," he said.
The SIR effect is equally stark in neighbouring Rajarhat-Gopalpur, a densely populated, fast-expanding constituency, which represents Greater Kolkata's growth. Here, more than 58,900 voters have been struck off roll, leaving an electorate of roughly 2.1 lakh, a figure more than twice the victory margin of Trinamool MLA Aditi Munshi in 2021.
Spread across BMC 16 wards and eight South Dum Dum wards, the constituency faces persistent infrastructure deficits despite its proximity to Salt Lake and New Town. Waterlogging remains an issue, with areas around Haldiram junction flooding after heavy spells of rain. Many still depend on groundwater, while drainage and waste management cry for upgrade. Munshi acknowledged the gaps but defended her govt's record: "This is a large constituency with a growing population. It was not possible to solve every problem in five years. But we ensured daily services and lined up plans for the next phase."
Her BJP rival, Tarunjyoti Tewari, has centred his campaign on allegations of ‘syndicate raj', claiming construction of high-rises on narrow lanes. "There is no proper drainage, govt hospital or reliable drinking water system. We'll address the issues," he said.