West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s sit-in protest against alleged arbitrary deletions from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) entered its third day on Sunday, as she accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions and attempting to remove legitimate voters from electoral rolls ahead of the state assembly elections.
Her remarks came as the full bench of the Election Commission is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata to review poll preparedness in the state.
Mamata alleged that the country is witnessing an “unprecedented and direct assault” on its democratic foundations.
"In their 'One Nation, One Leader, One Party' frenzy, BJP has systematically weaponised every democratic institution and every constitutional post to serve their own Jono-Birodhi (anti-people) ambitions," she alleged.
She further claimed that the BJP’s ultimate objective is to alter the constitutional framework.
Mamata alleged that the BJP intends to "replace" the Constitution framed by Babasaheb Ambedkar with its "party manifesto".
"For years, they have unleashed Central agencies, National Commissions, a servile Godi Media, and a compliant section of the judiciary against Bengal. They are misusing the Vanish Commission to erase legitimate voters from electoral rolls," the TMC supremo alleged.
Targeting the central leadership, Mamata described them as “zamindars of Delhi” and asserted that they would not succeed in their alleged attempt to dominate the state.
“Our dharna at Dharmatala is our answer to every Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengal) agenda that seeks to humiliate, intimidate, and persecute the people of this state,” she said.
The controversy centres on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which the Trinamool Congress claims has resulted in the large-scale deletion of genuine voters.
According to official data released on February 28, as many as 63.66 lakh names — around 8.3 per cent of the electorate — have been deleted since the SIR process began in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
Additionally, more than 60.06 lakh electors have been placed under the “under adjudication” category, meaning their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks, a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.
Mamata said that while the BJP’s primary focus is power, her political priority remains the people.
She said her priority “is and has always been people".
Drawing a historical parallel, she added that just as Bengal rose to break the shackles of colonial rule, it would “rise again to pave the way for BJP’s inevitable downfall”.