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The announcement of the second phase of the voter list revision has triggered a political slugfest in West Bengal, which is one of the 12 states and union territories where the pan-India exercise will be conducted by the Election Commission of India. West Bengal goes to polls in 2026, along with Kerala, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu that are also on the list while Assam has not been included. The ruling Trinamool Congress, which had opposed the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar along with its INDIA bloc allies, has said it will protest any attempt to “delete the names of eligible voters at the behest of the BJP”. The BJP, meanwhile, welcomed the announcement and maintained that “no illegal voter will be spared”. There are reports that immediately after the SIR announcement, the state government transferred 235 officers including 17 district magistrates, 22 additional district magistrates, 45 sub-divisional officers and 151 block development officers. Following this, the state unit of the BJP demanded the immediate annulment of these “irregular transfers”, which were made without the approval of the Election Commission of India (ECI). It has registered a complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) regarding this alleged violation. The West Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO), meanwhile, called for an all-party meeting on Tuesday (October 28). The Election Commission (EC) said the security of booth level officers (BLO) is the responsibility of the state government, noting that it is hopeful that a dire situation will not arise during the SIR in the state. WHAT DID THE BJP SAY? Welcoming the SIR, the BJP said the exercise was successfully implemented in Bihar and it is necessary for a state like West Bengal. Launching a scathing attack on the TMC, the BJP made some serious allegations linked to fake voting as well as Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators. It has alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led party is “distorting this process for its political interests” and “excluding genuine Indian citizens especially Hindu refugees and ordinary voters, to maintain its so-called fake vote bank”. Speaking from West Midnapore after the SIR announcement, BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said: “Just like it was successfully implemented in Bihar, now elections are to be held in five states next year, so that will be the first priority. The announcement will be made in a day or two, and then the EC will successfully implement it. This was necessary, and everyone should support it.” VIDEO | West Midnapore: BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on SIR says, “Just like it was successfully implemented in Bihar, now elections are to be held in five states next year, so that will be the first priority. The announcement will be made in a day or two, and then the EC will… pic.twitter.com/3kXPZbdv4Y— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 27, 2025 West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya wrote a lengthy post on X, saying the voter list revision in West Bengal is “not merely an exercise of name inclusion; it is, in fact, a fight to safeguard the backbone of democracy”. “…Unfortunately, the Trinamool Congress is allegedly distorting this process for its political interests. Across the state’s border districts — North and South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Malda, and North Dinajpur — there are widespread allegations of fake voter enrolment. There are also claims of desperate attempts to include the names of Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators in the voter list,” Bhattacharya said in his post. পশ্চিমবঙ্গে ভোটার তালিকা সংশোধন প্রক্রিয়া— SIR (Special Summary Revision) — শুধু নাম তোলার কাজ নয়, এটা আসলে গণতন্ত্রের মেরুদণ্ডকে সুরক্ষিত রাখার লড়াই।কিন্তু দুর্ভাগ্যজনকভাবে, তৃণমূল কংগ্রেস এই প্রক্রিয়াটিকেই তাদের রাজনৈতিক স্বার্থে বিকৃত করছে। আজ রাজ্যের সীমান্তবর্তী জেলা—… pic.twitter.com/wPhiLMeUpV— Samik Bhattacharya (@SamikBJP) October 27, 2025 Bhattacharya said the BJP has taken a clear stand against this “conspiracy” by the TMC and has urged the administration and the EC to ensure that the SIR is “fully transparent and digitalised” and “every inclusion, deletion, and objection is digitally recorded and verifiable”. “No citizen born on this soil, and identified as an Indian, can be deprived of their voting rights. No infiltrator will be allowed to enter the democratic framework of this country,” he said, urging everyone to take part in the SIR exercise and protect their right to vote. He added: “According to the BJP, this is what the Trinamool fears the most — The day the voter list truly reflects Indian citizens, their politics built on fake foundations will collapse. The BJP’s commitment is clear: ‘Protecting every Indian citizen’s right to vote is our constitutional duty. We will reach every home, ensure a clean and genuine voter list, safeguard democracy, and free Bengal from the vicious cycle of fake voting.’” Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari said: “No illegal voters will be spared. Those who are legitimate voters have nothing to fear. But the infiltrators, who are the vote bank of the TMC, will be weeded out.” WHAT DID THE TMC SAY? Reacting sharply to the EC move, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the party will “democratically protest” any attempt to remove genuine voters from the list. “If any attempts are being made to delete the names of any eligible voter, there will be protests. We have no problem with electoral roll revision, but in the name of it, if someone tries to delete the name of any eligible voter at the behest of the BJP, we will protest democratically,” Ghosh said. VIDEO | Kolkata: On the second phase of SIR that includes West Bengal, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh says, “We have no problem with electoral roll revision, but if any attempt is made to delete the names of eligible voters at the behest of the BJP, we will protest democratically.… pic.twitter.com/0eZzi1eY2v— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 27, 2025 Ghosh urged people to remain calm and not fall into what he called the “BJP’s trap”. “We would urge everyone to maintain calm and not fall into the trap of the BJP. Just remember that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee are with the people of West Bengal,” he said. (With agency inputs)
