Mamata Banerjee Leads SIR Protest In Kolkata, BJP Says 'Rally Of Jamat'

Last Updated:November 04, 2025, 16:34 IST

Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Election Commission, in coordination with the BJP, is carrying out "silent rigging" through the SIR exercise

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee | File Image

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday led a massive rally in Kolkata, protesting against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Trinamool chief alleged that the Election Commission, in coordination with the BJP, is carrying out “silent rigging" through the SIR exercise.

Banerjee’s rally, which saw thousands of supporters, covered a 3.8 km march from BR Ambedkar’s statue on Red Road to Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore.

Dressed in her trademark white cotton saree and slippers, the Chief Minister walked at the front of the procession, waving to bystanders and greeting residents watching from balconies.

Streets along the route were crowded with TMC supporters carrying flags, chanting slogans, and holding placards denouncing the SIR process.

BJP Hits Back

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp counterattack, with Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari branding the event a “rally of Jamat," claiming it went “against the ethos of the Indian Constitution."

Echoing his remarks, West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya said Banerjee should take her concerns to the Supreme Court instead of holding protests.

“There is complete lawlessness in Bengal," he said, alleging that the state was undergoing demographic changes and accusing the TMC government of encouraging the inclusion of Rohingyas in voter lists.

“Does the public want Rohingyas added to the voters’ list?" he asked.

The protest coincided with the second phase of the SIR exercise, currently underway in 12 States and Union Territories, including West Bengal.

The SIR involves a detailed, on-ground verification of electoral rolls by booth-level officers to identify and remove duplicate, deceased, migrated, or ineligible voters—a process that has not been undertaken at this scale in nearly two decades.

Opposition parties, however, have alleged that the revision is being used selectively to delete names of marginalised and opposition-leaning voters.

The first phase of the exercise in Bihar sparked controversy after more than 68 lakh names were reportedly removed from the final voter rolls.

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