SIR in Bengal may lead to deletion of 1.2 crore 'illegal voters': Union min Shantanu Thakur

Bongaon (WB), Oct 9 (PTI) Union minister and BJP MP Shantanu Thakur on Thursday claimed that around 1.2 crore "illegal voters" could be removed from West Bengal's electoral rolls through the EC's special intensive revision (SIR), drawing a sharp rebuttal from the Trinamool Congress, which warned the move would mostly hurt Matua refugees.

Speaking at a Vijaya Sammilani event at Gaighata in North 24 Parganas district, Thakur, a prominent leader of the Matua community, said the SIR would ensure a transparent voter list and remove what he termed as "Rohingyas, infiltrators and ghost voters" from the state's electoral rolls.

"If SIR is implemented properly, the TMC government will have no escape route. At least one crore to 1.2 crore people who have illegally become voters in West Bengal will be deleted. Rohingyas, infiltrators and ghost voters will not be able to cast their votes anymore," he said.

Thakur asserted that a "clean" electoral roll would pave the way for real change in West Bengal.

"Those who genuinely want change, who want industries, education, and better healthcare in West Bengal, will be able to vote. With their votes, the BJP will win and form the government," he said.

Later, speaking to reporters, Thakur added that the revision would bring transparency and expose illegal entries in the rolls.

"A transparent voter list will emerge. We will see how many Rohingya, Bangladeshi and ghost voters get deleted and also how many refugee voters are affected. Refugees will not be pushed back to Bangladesh. Once they get citizenship, they will again become legitimate voters," he said.

However, his remarks drew a sharp retort from Trinamool Congress MP and Matua leader Mamata Bala Thakur, who warned that the SIR process could backfire on the BJP itself.

"It is the Matua refugees who will suffer the most because of SIR. Those who vote for the BJP will lose their names from the rolls. The TMC will not be affected; in fact, our seats will increase," Mamata Bala Thakur, who is also Shantanu Thakur's aunt, told reporters.

She accused the BJP leadership of misleading people over citizenship and voter registration.

"Let the state BJP leadership and the Union home minister first decide what they actually want. They have left people, especially refugees, completely confused," she said.

The possible SIR has become a political flashpoint in West Bengal, with the ruling TMC accusing the Election Commission of acting under the BJP's influence to delete names of genuine voters ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, while the BJP insists the exercise is aimed at cleansing the rolls of illegal and bogus entries.

The Matua community, comprising a large section of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, holds significant electoral influence in North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts, and has emerged as a key vote bank for both the BJP and the TMC. PTI PNT ACD