TMC Warns Of Legal Action, Mass Protest Over Voter List Deletions In Bengal

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday issued a strong warning of legal action and a statewide movement if names of genuine voters are found deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

At a closed-door virtual meeting attended by nearly 15,000 party functionaries, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP of using the revision process to “silently rig” the forthcoming elections, PTI reported

Banerjee alleged that the SIR, announced on October 27, was being conducted “at the behest of the BJP” to manipulate the voter list ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

“As you all know, the SIR was announced on October 27 in Bengal on BJP's instructions. After the voter rolls revision was announced in Bihar, we had said it stands for Silent Invisible Rigging. The TMC has protested in Parliament, in court, and on streets and we will continue to do so,” Abhishek Banerjee said, as quoted by TMC sources who attended the meeting.

Earlier this week, Banerjee had warned the Election Commission of massive protests if voters were unfairly excluded from the rolls. “If the name of a single eligible voter is eliminated from the voter list, then one lakh people from Bengal will hold dharna outside the EC office in New Delhi,” he had said.

Friday’s meeting, convened by Banerjee and also addressed by state president Subrata Bakshi, was aimed at formulating a strategy to monitor the voter list revision. According to party insiders, the meeting was held behind closed doors to facilitate frank internal discussions.

Participants included TMC members engaged in organisational work at the district, block, and booth levels. Banerjee, during his address, alleged that an “environment of fear” had been created across the state due to door-to-door verification and revalidation under the SIR process.

“If genuine voters' names are deleted, we will not remain silent. We will draw the attention of the court and also launch a major movement in Delhi to ensure justice,” he reportedly told the meeting.

TMC sources said Banerjee directed party leaders to remain alert, claiming that “thousands of genuine voters’ names” had already been found missing in several areas, notably in North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and Cooch Behar districts.

Banerjee also expressed concern over recent deaths allegedly linked to anxiety surrounding voter list exclusions.

“An environment of fear has been created due to this exercise. People are scared that their names might go missing, and that's unacceptable in a democracy,” he was quoted as saying.

To help citizens, Banerjee announced that anchal-wise help desks will be set up across West Bengal from November 4 to December 4. These centers will assist people in verifying voter details, filing claims and objections, and reporting irregularities during the revision process.

The Trinamool Congress has been critical of the Election Commission’s SIR exercise since its announcement. The revision is intended to update Bengal’s electoral rolls ahead of their final publication in January 2026, but the TMC contends that the process is being “misused under political pressure” to target specific communities and opposition supporters.

While the BJP has dismissed the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated,” the TMC maintains that the revision represents “a larger plot to disenfranchise minorities, Matuas, and poor voters.”

With PTI inputs