TMC Vows to Protest Any Attempt to Delete Eligible Voters' Names Amid Electoral Roll Revision

PTI, KOLKATA, OCT 27, 2025 :  The Election Commission's announcement of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal sparked a political slugfest, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) expressing concerns over potential attempts to "delete the names of eligible voters at the behest of the BJP." The saffron party, on the other hand, maintained that "no illegal voter will be spared."

Reacting sharply to the Election Commission's move, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the party would "democratically protest" any attempt to remove genuine voters from the list. "If any attempts are being made to delete the names of any eligible voter, there will be protests. We have no problem with electoral roll revision, but in the name of it, if someone tries to delete the name of any eligible voter at the behest of the BJP, we will protest democratically," Ghosh stated. He urged people to remain calm and not fall into what he called the "BJP's trap." "We would urge everyone to maintain calm and not fall into the trap of the BJP. Just remember that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee are with the people of West Bengal," he added.

The BJP, however, welcomed the Election Commission's move, calling it a necessary step to "weed out illegal voters." Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, emphasized, "No illegal voters will be spared. Those who are legitimate voters have nothing to fear. But the infiltrators, who are the vote bank of the TMC, will be weeded out."

Meanwhile, hours before the EC's expected announcement of the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states, including West Bengal, the state government on Monday notified a bulk rejig of over 200 bureaucrats and senior officials across districts. As many as 61 IAS and 145 WBCS (Executive) officers were shuffled by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department of the West Bengal government, making it among the largest transfers at one go in recent times. The reshuffle included 10 district magistrates, multiple special secretary-ranked officers, several officers-on-special duty (OSDs), and a number of ADMs and SDOs from both IAS and WBCS cadres.