Will sit on dharna if even one eligible person's name is struck off voter list, said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Mamata Banerjee claimed she has not filled her enumeration form till now, asking, “Do I need to prove my citizenship to party of rioters”.
After conducting revision of electoral in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) in October announced the second phase of SIR, which is being held across 12 states and UTs, including West Bengal - where the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led state government which has always opposed the poll body move saying it is being done to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a rally in at Krishnanagar, Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that the Election Commission is sending BJP-inclined officials from Delhi to oversee DMs' work during SIR hearing, PTI news agency reported.
West Bengal is due for elections in the first half of 2026.
{{/usCountry}}West Bengal is due for elections in the first half of 2026.
{{/usCountry}}Union home minister can do anything to label all Bengalis as Bangladeshis and send them to detention camps, alleged Mamata Banerjee at the rally.
In a related development, the ECI has revised the timeline for the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal, shifting the date of final publication from the earlier schedule to February 14, 2026.
In an official order issued on Wednesday, the ECI stated that the extension has been granted, considering the large-scale enumeration work and the need for proper verification and rationalisation of polling stations across the state.
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called home minister Amit Shah "dangerous", and said it can be seen “in his eyes”.
Alleging that the SIR was being used as a political weapon ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, Banerjee said, "If even a single eligible voter's name is struck off, I will sit on a dharna. There will be no detention camps in West Bengal. They are so hungry for votes that they are conducting the SIR just two months before elections," PTI quoted Mamata Banerjee as saying.