SIR is a plot by the BJP to select voters, says TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a ploy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to select voters, Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said on Tuesday (October 28, 2025).

“Earlier, people used to choose the government. Now this BJP government wants to select who will vote or not,” Banerjee said at a press conference at the Trinamool Congress party headquarters.

The TMC leader’s comments came a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the SIR of electoral rolls in 12 states, including West Bengal.

No voter should be left out in the West Bengal SIR, Mr Banerjee said. “If they dare to remove even one legitimate voter’s name from Bengal’s list through the SIR, we will show what Bengal can do when democracy is challenged. And here is the promise: even after the SIR, Trinamool’s seats will only increase,” said Mr Banerjee, who is considered the party’s second-in-command.

Why was the SIR conducted only in West Bengal and not in any state bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar when allegations of illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and Myanmar had surfaced, and why the SIR had not been announced for Assam or other northeastern states, he said.

“Five northeastern states share borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar. So why is the SIR being announced only in West Bengal, citing the presence of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas?” he said.

The Trinamool Congress leader also challenged the ECI’s timeline for the verification. “In 2002, the SIR was held in Bengal for a period of two years. How will the ECI complete this mammoth task in one or two months?” he said.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were responsible for the death of Pradeep Kar, a resident of Panihati, allegedly due to fear caused by the ongoing threat from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mr Banerjee said, adding that a first information report should be filed against them.