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West Bengal is heading into a charged pre-election season, and the state now finds itself entangled in a citizenship and voter-roll maze unlike any other. On the ground, thousands of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, most of whom crossed over in phases over the decades, are still awaiting their promised citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Nearly 30,000 such applications have been filed since 2023, but barely 5,000 have been heard by the District Level Committees (DLC) in the last 18 months, said senior BJP leaders, who are in charge of the party’s initiative to provide assistance for filling up the forms and other related documents. The party has been running at least 65 assistance camps across 18 locations across districts bordering Bangladesh. The locations primarily include areas in districts like Nadia, Coochbehar, North Dinajpur, North and South 24 Parganas, where Matuas play a dominant role. Meanwhile, frustration over the delay has now reached the courts as an NGO—Atmadeep—has filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court over the massive pendency, which is scheduled to be heard on Monday. For thousands of families who fled religious persecution and built lives in Bengal’s border districts, the wait for legal recognition continues to stretch endlessly. CAA Delay Sparks ‘Statelessness’ Fears The Writ Petition (WPA-487/2025), filed on November 6, sought judicial redressal and appealed for recognition of acknowledgement receipts, issued to the applicants under the CAA, during the ongoing electoral revision. In the petition, the NGO that works among the Hindu refugees, stated, “The delay in issuance of citizenship certificates, coupled with the non-recognition of acknowledgment receipts during the ongoing electoral revision, has created a serious constitutional crisis. The affected persons, already recognised by Parliament as persecuted minorities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India deserving protection and integration, are now exposed to the risk of statelessness, social exclusion, and disenfranchisement.” The petition added: “The acknowledgement receipt generated upon online submission serves as. the primary and official proof of an application under the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. In absence of final disposal within a fixed period, such receipts must be treated as valid provisional proof of pending citizenship determination, at least for limited civil purposes such as inclusion or retention in the electoral rolls during Special Intensive Revision (SIR).” Talking to News18, Prasun Maitra, chairperson of the NGO, said: “Non-recognition of these receipts would unjustly penalise applicants for administrative delays beyond their control. The administrative delay or inaction further violates India’s international commitments under Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which also emphasises the right to nationality and prohibits its arbitrary deprivation.” He added: “As a signatory, the government of India is bound to uphold procedural fairness and safeguard individuals from statelessness. We filed a petition after studying the ground-situation and it will be heard by a division bench on Monday.” News18 spoke with senior officials in the DLC, who describe the situation as “messy”. Files remain stuck at different stages of verification, hearings, or simple acknowledgement. District authorities said the DLCs are often running with scarce staff and face “technical delay” some times. The confusion is magnified by poor coordination between the central and state agencies in West Bengal. Hundreds of applicants have been returning repeatedly to local camps or BJP offices to check the progress, but the silence has deepened their anxiety. Why Bengal’s SIR Is A Political Minefield Amid the administrative gridlock, the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls is set to begin. In most states, like Bihar, the SIR is a routine bureaucratic exercise to delete duplicates, verify existing names, and add new voters. But in Bengal, it carries a far deeper political weight. Here, the voter list is not just paperwork, it is also going to be an assertion of identity and belonging in a state that has lived through waves of migration and partition scars. The overlap of the pending CAA applications and the upcoming SIR has triggered unease across political circles, while the ruling Trinamool may use it as a political weapon. For officials on the ground, distinguishing between CAA applicants, real Hindu refugees, and eligible voters has now become a logistical nightmare. Each inclusion or exclusion risks being interpreted through the lens of religion and politics. The state unit of the BJP, which has championed CAA as its moral and ideological commitment to persecuted Hindu migrants, now finds itself cornered by slow implementation. Bengal BJP’s Dilemma Since 2023, the party has been holding verification and assistance camps across Bengal, trying to help applicants track or complete their paperwork. But with only 800 cards issued so far, frustration is mounting within the state unit too ahead of a crucial election, sources said. Leaders privately admit that the long wait and absence of assurance could alienate a core constituency that once viewed the party as their only hope for recognition. For the ruling Trinamool Congress, the issue is equally sensitive. While it has publicly opposed the CAA, it faces local pressure in border belts like North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and Cooch Behar, where families are waiting for citizenship and find themselves caught between competing political narratives and procedural limbo. In Bengal, where every document doubles as proof of identity and political validation, the line between citizenship and voting rights now seems blurred.
