Suvendu says no genuine Matua voter's name to be deleted, ups CAA pitch ahead of 2026 Bengal polls

Kolkata, Jan 7 (PTI) As anxieties over the SIR of electoral rolls ripple through Matua-majority pockets ahead of the 2026 West Bengal polls, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday assured the refugee community that no genuine voter among them would lose franchise.

He also claimed that Matua household certificates were being accepted for applications for citizenship under the CAA.

The SIR process has triggered protests in recent days, with sections of the Matua community expressing fears over removal of names from the voter list and mandatory appearances at block development offices (BDO) for hearing.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur, a Matua herself, had emerged as a key face of the agitation, who even held a hunger strike, while demonstrations spilled onto Kolkata's streets demanding scrapping of the exercise.

Addressing a large gathering at the Matua stronghold Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district, Adhikari sought to allay fears over verification hearings.

"Only those who receive notices need to appear before the BDO. Those above 85 years need not go at all; officials will visit their homes, if required," he said, a reassurance that drew visible relief among elderly voters.

Laying out a step-by-step remedy against any deletion, Adhikari said if an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) strikes off a name, applications should first be moved to the Election Officer, and then escalated to the Chief Electoral Officer, if rejected.

"I will personally take responsibility for applications at the CEO's office," he said, naming BJP MLA Ashok Kirtania as the local coordinator for the process.

Sharpening the political pitch, Adhikari invoked identity and security themes, declaring that "no one will dare touch a hair on a Hindu's head," while accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of practising appeasement politics.

He likened the Matua plight to the trauma of Partition, alleged that the state was being run for "Jamaatis", and said the chief minister had "one eye open and one eye shut".

Reposing faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adhikari assured the gathering that no Matua refugee's name would be dropped from the rolls.

He also doubled down on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, claiming that Matua household certificates were being accepted for CAA applications.

"Around 60,000 people have applied so far (under CAA). Over a thousand have already received certificates. Whose job or school admission has been cancelled?" he asked, dismissing earlier warnings around CAA as "misleading fear-mongering".

The BJP mobilisation came amid sustained outreach by the ruling Trinamool Congress.

TMC leaders, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, have been in regular touch with Matua leaders since protests erupted, seeking to contain disquiet within the community.

The draft electoral rolls published on December 16 after the first phase of SIR have already heightened political stakes.

According to the Election Commission, the electorate in West Bengal shrank from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore, with over 58 lakh names deleted. The second phase now involves hearings for 1.67 crore electors, including 1.36 crore flagged for logical discrepancies and 31 lakh lacking proper mapping.

For the Matuas, a Dalit Hindu refugee community that migrated from Bangladesh over decades following religious persecution, the first statewide SIR since 2002 has reopened anxieties over identity, documentation and citizenship.

With a decisive presence across North 24 Parganas, Nadia and parts of South 24 Parganas districts, the community sits at the heart of an electoral churn that could influence 40-50 assembly seats the BJP has relied on since 2019.

With final rolls to be published in February and the 2026 assembly polls approaching, the battle over voter lists, citizenship narratives and Matua allegiance is fast hardening into a high-voltage political contest.

The 294-member strong West Bengal Assembly polls are likely to be held in April-May this year. PTI PNT NN