Mamata to Stage Protest Against Alleged Voter Roll Deletions Under SIR on March 6: Abhishek

PTI, March 1, 2026, Kolkata : TMC MP and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will stage a dharna on March 6 against "arbitrary deletions" under SIR.

Escalating his attack on the Election Commission over the post-SIR rolls in West Bengal, Banerjee alleged that the "target of deleting over one crore voters was decided even before the exercise began".

Addressing a press conference a day after the publication of the first phase of post-SIR final rolls, Banerjee claimed that BJP leaders had publicly said that "1.2 crore names" would be removed from the rolls, and he alleged that the cumulative number of deletions and voters kept "under adjudication" now corresponds closely to that figure.

"The target of deleting over one crore voters in West Bengal was decided even before SIR commenced. BJP leaders have repeatedly said 1.2 crore names will be removed. If you add the deletions and those put under adjudication, the number corresponds closely to the figure of 1.2 crore," he said.

Banerjee spoke about previous remarks made by Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, former BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and Union minister Shantanu Thakur about large-scale deletions from the rolls.

"Even before the commencement of SIR, these leaders had said that 1 crore to 1.25 crore voters will be deleted. They had fixed a target."