SIR ROW INTENSIFIES BENGAL'S POLITICAL CONFRONTATION

TMC and BJP clash over voter list revision ahead of 2026 polls.

- TIKAM SHARMA

Political tensions in West Bengal have reignited, with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list emerging as the newest point of confrontation between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Both parties have launched fierce verbal attacks, accusing each other of attempting to manipulate the electoral process ahead of the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.

The TMC has alleged that the Election Commission is functioning under the influence of the BJP, deliberately targeting genuine voters to tilt the electoral balance. ‘The party has described the SIR as a “disguised NRC”, asserting, “This is not SIR; this is a backdoor NRC.” The BJP, however, has strongly defended the voter list revision, arguing that the exercise aims to establish a transparent and authentic electoral roll by identifying and removing “Rohingyas, infiltrators, and ghost voters” from the state's records.

‘The controversy deepened after Union Minister and BJP MP Shantanu Thakur claimed that nearly 1.2 crore illegal voters might be deleted from West Bengal's rolls under the Election Commission's ongoing SIR exercise.