NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to begin Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar has triggered alarm bells in neighbouring West Bengal where the exercise is to follow, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) fearing a political storm over the issue of migrants’ citizenship and voting rights.
According to ECI directives, voters will have to produce one of the 12 prescribed documents to verify their eligibility during the revision process. While the Supreme Court later ordered that Aadhaar and old voter identity cards should also be accepted, reports from the ground suggest that nearly one crore residents in West Bengal may not possess any of the mandatory papers.
This has sparked deep concern in the TMC camp, as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is seen gearing up to make the “illegal migrant” issue a central plank of its campaign. The BJP has consistently alleged large-scale infiltration from Bangladesh and claims that West Bengal’s voter list carries a significant number of names that require scrutiny.
Party strategists believe that the SIR exercise could help them mobilise support by projecting themselves as the guardians of national security and demographic balance.
For Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, the exercise represents a direct political threat. Sources within the state administration say the government fears a looming “citizenship crisis” for millions of residents who have lived in Bengal for decades but may now find their status questioned. Observers point out that the situation could particularly impact those who migrated to India from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) between 1947 and 1971.
Ironically, the BJP too may face a delicate balancing act. Political analysts note that nearly 98 per cent of such migrants are Hindus, who came to India fleeing persecution and social unrest. Since 1947, successive governments at the Centre, including those led by the BJP, have publicly acknowledged their right to stay. Any large-scale disenfranchisement could therefore alienate a crucial segment of the BJP’s support base.
With elections in the state drawing closer, the controversy over voter list verification threatens to escalate into a major flashpoint. Observers believe that beyond the technicalities of documents and verification, the issue is set to revive Bengal’s decades-old debate on migration, identity, and communal politics — with both the BJP and TMC preparing to fight high-stakes battles over it.
[Writer is a Senior Journalist and Political Commentator]
