Bengal polls to be announced right after final voters' list to block court challenge, claims Mamata

Cooch Behar (WB), Dec 9 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the EC would announce the state assembly elections immediately after the publication of the final voters’ list in February under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to prevent any legal challenge to the fresh electoral rolls.

Addressing a public meeting at the Ras Mela ground here, Banerjee claimed that the SIR was a “well-planned political conspiracy” executed just months before the 2026 elections to “delete names, divide votes and intimidate citizens”.

“They will publish the final list and declare elections the very next day, so that no one gets time to approach the court. This is their plan. The legal battle I will leave to the courts, but we will fight politically,” she said.

The CM alleged that the Election Commission’s November 4 rollout of the SIR had created "widespread fear" among people, particularly among minorities, migrant workers and married women.

"After staying in this country as Indian citizens all our lives, now we are being asked to prove our citizenship again. What can be more humiliating than this?" she asked.

Launching a blistering attack on the BJP, Banerjee said the exercise was "deliberately" timed before the polls. “You could have done SIR anytime in the last two years. Why this sudden hunger before elections? How much more will you eat?” she said, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of trying to delete voters’ names “within two months”.

She alleged that “alive voters are being shown dead” and that “married women’s names are being deleted from the rolls”.

“Sometimes they do 'notebandi', now they are doing votebandi. Their plan is to delete one crore voters,” Banerjee claimed.

The chief minister warned that if the BJP forms a government in the state, Bengal would lose its identity. “If the BJP comes to power, Bengal will be destroyed. Your identity, honour and language will be wiped out. They want to turn Bengal into a detention camp. But no such camp will ever be allowed here,” she said.

Drawing parallels with other BJP-ruled states, Banerjee said, "The double-engine government has started detention camps in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. In Odisha, our migrant workers are harassed for speaking Bengali. The same is happening in Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. And they think they will run Bengal without knowing its language and culture?" She also alleged that while the BJP spoke about the Rajbanshi community during elections, people in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar started receiving “notices from Assam” once the polls were over.

“No one needs to go to Assam to answer anyone. One state cannot interfere in the governance of another,” she said.

Banerjee alleged that despite having valid nationality documents, Sunali Khatun and her family were pushed into Bangladesh by the BSF.

“She was pregnant. She was tortured and was not given food. We gave her financial assistance and got her released from jail, but four more people are still stuck there. We will bring them back,” the chief minister said.

Khatun, a pregnant woman who, along with two of her family members and others, was pushed into Bangladesh in June this year on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant, had returned to India on Friday with her eight-year-old son following the Supreme Court’s intervention.

Banerjee also warned the Centre that any attempt to impose President’s Rule would be resisted.

“If we had stopped the SIR process, they were waiting to impose President’s Rule and conduct elections. That was their trap,” she claimed.

She instructed voters to ensure their names were included in the rolls and urged them not to panic.

“Do appear for the hearing and carry all documents. If any paper is missing, go to the ‘May I Help You’ booth and inform them,” she told the gathering, while directing party workers, BLAs and local leaders to assist voters at every stage.

She also announced that the state government had provided an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to families of those who allegedly died during the SIR process and that those hospitalised were receiving full medical support.

“The Centre will make BLOs work, the state will have to pay them, and then they will block our funds. They will deploy nearly one crore police personnel even when there is no need, and all expenses will be dumped on the state,” Banerjee alleged.

Issuing a rare direct challenge to central forces, she said, “Do not be afraid of the BSF. If they harass you, put women in the frontline. Let me see whether women’s power is stronger or that of the BJP.” She also asserted that no one in Bengal could be thrown out for speaking their language. “No one can evict you for speaking Bengali, Rajbanshi or Kamtapuri as long as we are in power,” she said.

Banerjee accused the BJP of using crores of rupees to divide minority votes during elections while targeting the same people at other times.

“During elections, you talk of minorities and Rajbanshis. At other times, you strike names off the rolls and people get killed like in Sitalkuchi,” she said, while referring to the killings of four civilians in firing by CISF during the fourth phase of assembly polls in 2021.

The CISF and EC had then claimed that the firing was an act of "self-defence" as a mob surrounded the booth, attempted to snatch weapons. Villagers and the ruling TMC had claimed the firing was unprovoked. PTI PNT BDC