On Tuesday, November 4, the TMC organised a significant protest march in Kolkata against the commencement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The rally was spearheaded by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and drew thousands of party supporters along a route starting at the statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on Red Road and ending at Jorasanko Thakur Bari.
The March coincides with the start of house-to-house enumeration by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) under SIR, which the party says has triggered widespread apprehension among voters. The TMC described the revision exercise as part of a broader political strategy, while Abhishek Banerjee, in his remarks on the stage, asserted that Bengal “won’t bow to Delhi”.
The party also flagged concerns over recent fatalities and attempted suicides that they say are linked to SIR-related voter-list anxieties; at least seven deaths were referenced by TMC leadership.
In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the march, calling it a politically motivated display and accusing TMC of orchestrating a “vote-bank” exercise. The Election Commission of India (ECI) meanwhile maintained the SIR process is a constitutionally mandated revision designed to update decades-old electoral rolls.
With the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls on the horizon, the SIR process and the political backlash it has triggered in the state signal a deeper contest over voter rights, citizenship documentation and electoral integrity.
