Mamata Banerjee Raises Concerns Over Citizenship and Election Processes

PTI, KOLKATA, MARCH 20, 2026 : Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that the Centre is planning to "take away people's citizenship" in the name of NRC and Census after the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Addressing a press conference during the release of the TMC's election manifesto, Mamata claimed that an "unofficial President's Rule" has been imposed in the state ahead of the polls.

"The Centre is planning to take away people's citizenship in the name of NRC and Census after the polls," she claimed, warning that people must remain vigilant against such attempts.

The Chief Minister also alleged that the Centre, along with the Election Commission, was planning a delimitation exercise to help the BJP win the next Lok Sabha polls. Mamata accused the EC of transferring state officials to create a favourable environment for the BJP ahead of the elections.

"The EC is transferring officers at the BJP's behest so that money and arms can be smuggled into Bengal before the polls," she alleged.

The Chief Minister said the EC's actions had effectively resulted in an "unofficial President's Rule". "The EC and the Centre have imposed an unofficial President's Rule in Bengal because the BJP knows it will be defeated in the polls," she claimed.

Mamata alleged that people belonging to a particular community were being disproportionately targeted in the SIR exercise.

"I have heard that out of around 60 lakh cases under adjudication, about 22 lakh have been disposed of, and nearly 10 lakh names have been deleted. We need to cross-check these figures," she said.