Kolkata, November 11, 2025
In a blistering assault on the Election Commission of India (ECI), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday branded the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a "votebandi"—a deliberate "vote ban"—orchestrated by the BJP to disenfranchise millions of her party's faithful ahead of the 2026 state polls. Speaking at a raucous TMC rally in Kolkata's storm-lashed Howrah Bridge shadow, the firebrand leader vowed "unyielding resistance," from legal salvos to mass agitations, framing the exercise as a "sinister ploy to steal Bengal's democratic soul" and drawing parallels to "Operation Black Thunder" in the state's turbulent past. The diatribe, amplified by a sea of green-and-white flags and viral clips, has supercharged TMC's anti-Centre crusade, risking a fresh standoff with the poll watchdog and deepening Bengal's saffron-green chasm.
Banerjee's broadside erupted amid the SIR's second week, a door-to-door audit launched October 25 to "cleanse" voter lists by verifying 7.4 crore names across 294 constituencies—flagged by TMC as a BJP-engineered "witch hunt" targeting Muslim and marginalized voters in strongholds like Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas. Over 12 lakh names—disproportionately from minority pockets—stand deleted so far, per ECI data, with the commission issuing show-cause notices to eight district officers for "irregularities." Mamata, her voice cracking with feigned tears, thundered: "This isn't revision; it's robbery! They've turned our voter lists into hit lists, wiping out the poor, the minorities, the Bengalis who dare to resist Delhi's diktats. Votebandi? We'll make it a bandh they can't forget!" She accused the ECI of "remote control" by the Modi regime, invoking Article 243K violations and demanding an immediate halt, backed by a petition to the Calcutta High Court set for hearing Wednesday.
The SIR, mandated under ECI's 2024 guidelines to curb "bogus voting" post-2024 Lok Sabha anomalies, has snowballed into Bengal's latest flashpoint. TMC alleges algorithmic biases in the UMEED portal—used for Aadhaar-Voter ID linkages—flagged 40% deletions in Muslim-majority booths, echoing 2019's NRC fears. Party MP Kalyan Banerjee, a vocal ally, chipped in: "It's gerrymandering 2.0—BJP's desperate because they know Bengal won't bend." In Kolkata's Bowbazar, where 5,000 deletions hit last week, distraught seniors like 78-year-old Rehana Bi wept to reporters: "My name's gone; how do I vote against those who did this?"
ECI, stung by the onslaught, fired back via a terse release: "The SIR is a routine, transparent process to ensure free and fair polls, with ample opportunities for claims and objections. Allegations of bias are baseless and politically motivated." Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, addressing a Delhi presser, defended the exercise as "voter-friendly," noting 90% verification rates and helplines for restorations. Yet, the optics sour: Notices to TMC-ruled districts like Malda and Uttar Dinajpur have fueled cries of vendetta, with the Supreme Court yesterday agreeing to hear West Bengal's plea challenging the SIR's constitutionality—mirroring Bihar's parallel suit.
BJP ranks, sensing blood, countered with glee. State president Sukanta Majumdar mocked Mamata as the "queen of drama," tweeting: "Didi's tears won't wash away 40 lakh fake votes from 2021. SIR is surgery; her panic is the symptom." Union Minister Nisith Pramanik upped the ante, filing complaints against TMC "intimidators" disrupting BLO (Booth Level Officer) teams in Asansol. The war of words risks boiling over: TMC's youth wing has called a "Save Our Vote" march for November 15, while BJP mobilizes "truth yatras" to expose alleged "ghost voters."
This melee underscores Bengal's brittle peace, where 2021's TMC landslide—despite post-poll violence—still rankles Delhi. With urban local body polls looming in 2026, deletions could shave 5-7% off TMC's margins in key seats, per internal estimates, handing BJP ammo in its "double-engine" push. Analysts like Sumantra Bose warn of "democratic erosion": "SIR's intent is noble, but execution smells of partisanship—Bengal's streets will decide if it's reform or revenge."
As dusk fell over the Hooghly, Mamata's rally dissolved into chants of "Joy Bangla," but the air crackled with unrest. In a state where polls are passion plays, her "votebandi" salvo isn't rhetoric—it's a gauntlet, daring the EC and BJP to blink first. For Bengal's ballot box, the real revision has just begun.
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