North 24 Paragana : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday lambasted the BJP over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the state, saying "nobody can throw you (electors) out."
Addressing a public meeting opposing the SIR exercise, Mamata Banerjee confronted the BJP, stating she does not fear them. She questioned if the aim of the SIR is to remove Bangladeshi nationals from the voter list, then why is the Election Commission conducting the exercise in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh?"
She said, "I love Bangladesh as a country, because our language is the same. I am from Birbhum, but one day they will call me Bangladeshi. PM Modi got votes in 2024 as per the same list. If your name gets deleted, the Central government should also be deleted. Why conducting SIR in such a hurry?"
"Till I am here, I will not allow them to throw you out. Nobody can throw you out. If Bangladeshi is a problem, then why are you conducting SIR in Madhya Pradesh and UP?" she asked.
This comes after the ECI announced the second phase of SIR of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase was completed in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
The exercise covers Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Earlier today, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging violation of the "neutrality" principle and misuse of police by the TMC government during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Adhikhari flagged the participation of serving police officers and TMC leaders at the Second State Conference of Women Police Personnel held on Saturday, terming it as the ruling party's political rally.
He accused the TMC of "election rigging" and calling the SIR exercise a "scam." Adhikhari demanded that the poll body bar the West Bengal Police from primary election duties in the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections and deploy the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).