Mamata to Lead Mega March in City Against SIR on Nov 4

PTI, KOLKATA, NOV 1, 2025 : Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a mega march in Kolkata on Tuesday, protesting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which will begin in the state on that day. Mamata, who heads the ruling TMC, will be joined by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the party, in the rally.

The march, which will start near the BR Ambedkar statue at Maidan, will culminate near Rabindranath Tagore's residence at Jorasanko. Announcing the programme, the TMC, in a post on X, said: "The so-called Special Intensive Revision is actually Silent Invisible Rigging. We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that all eligible voters are included and not left behind in this process. For our people, we will give our all!"

The TMC has been criticizing the SIR since the exercise was carried out in Bihar a few months ago. The party has also taken on the BJP after three people allegedly died by suicide in the state, fearing that their names would be deleted from the voters' list following the SIR.

The Election Commission will conduct phase two of the SIR in 12 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, where elections are due early next year, between November and February. The exercise will begin on November 4 and continue until December 4. The draft electoral rolls will be released on December 9, and the final rolls will be published on February 7.