KOLKATA – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a major protest dharna on March 6 in Kolkata against the removal of names from the final voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The move comes amid escalating tensions between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of crucial elections.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar responded sharply to Banerjee’s declaration, questioning her motives. ‘If the TMC chief wants to stage a dharna, what can we do? People know her real agenda,’ he stated. Majumdar accused Banerjee of advocating for Bangladeshi Rohingyas, infiltrators from Bangladesh, and even deceased voters whose names allegedly remain on the rolls.
The controversy erupted after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee held a press conference on Sunday, slamming the BJP for allegedly manipulating the voter list through the Election Commission. ‘The BJP can’t win assembly elections fairly, so they’re tampering with the voter rolls,’ he claimed, alleging a premeditated plan to delete over one crore names even before the SIR process began.
Banerjee plans to hold the dharna at Esplanade in central Kolkata, the same iconic spot where she staged a 26-day hunger strike in 2008 against land acquisition policies. Abhishek questioned why the Election Commission isn’t publicizing lists of identified Bangladeshis and Rohingyas during the SIR drive, calling it a BJP-orchestrated narrative to disenfranchise genuine voters.
‘Lives have been lost due to this flawed SIR process, and the Election Commission is blindly following BJP directives to strike off over a crore names under the guise of rationalization,’ Abhishek alleged. He demanded accountability, warning that curbing voting rights undermines democracy in Bengal.
As political tempers flare, the voter list revisions have become a flashpoint, with both sides accusing each other of foul play. Mamata’s dharna is poised to draw massive crowds, reigniting memories of her historic protests and setting the stage for a fierce electoral showdown.