BJP Seeks Re-verification of Bengal: As West Bengal prepares to undertake its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025 of the electoral rolls — a massive verification exercise meant to clean and update voter records — a fresh political storm has erupted. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded a statewide re-verification of voter documents before the revision begins, alleging that fake identity and residence certificates are being used to legitimize illegal immigrants in the state.
On Monday, a high-level BJP delegation met officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi, seeking urgent intervention. The move comes amid intensifying political tension between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition BJP over voter legitimacy, citizenship rights, and demographic shifts in border districts.
1. The Core Demand: BJP’s Call for Document Re-verification
The BJP’s central allegation is that the West Bengal government has issued a large number of forged identity documents — including birth certificates, residence proofs, caste certificates, and forest rights documents — allegedly to accommodate non-citizens and influence future elections.
The delegation, which included senior leaders Amit Malviya, Samik Bhattacharya, Biplab Deb, and Om Pathak, submitted a detailed memorandum to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, and other top EC officials.
In their submission, the BJP leaders claimed that the voter rolls in Bengal are being “manipulated through fraudulent documentation” and demanded that all voter-related documents be reverified independently by Election Commission officials rather than relying on data authenticated by state authorities.
“We have requested the Election Commission to ensure that before the SIR begins, all documents submitted for voter registration be verified afresh by central agencies. Forged certificates are being used to create new voters who may not be Indian citizens,” a BJP leader said after the meeting.
2. BJP Seeks Re-verification of Bengal: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025, launched by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, is a large-scale exercise meant to update the state’s voter rolls — identifying missing voters, removing duplicates, and verifying addresses.
It is a routine electoral process supervised by the Election Commission of India, but this year’s revision has acquired unprecedented political importance. The reason: the BJP believes that unauthorized voter additions could tilt electoral arithmetic in several key constituencies, especially in border districts like North 24-Parganas, Murshidabad, Malda, and Cooch Behar.
The revision will involve Booth Level Officers (BLOs) distributing pre-filled enumeration forms to every household. Citizens will verify and return these forms, after which data will be updated and a draft roll will be published for public scrutiny.
However, before this process even begins, the BJP wants a statewide re-verification of all supporting voter documents — a step that could delay the revision schedule but, according to them, is necessary to “protect electoral integrity.”
3. BJP’s Concerns: The Issue of ‘Infiltration’ and Citizenship
BJP’s central narrative revolves around illegal infiltration from neighbouring Bangladesh — a politically sensitive and polarizing issue in West Bengal.
The party has long claimed that infiltrators are being given false residency or birth documents by local officials and panchayats sympathetic to the ruling TMC, thereby gaining access to voter rolls and, ultimately, influencing election outcomes.
The delegation’s memorandum alleged that local bureaucrats have been “co-opted” into a scheme to issue forged documents that enable non-citizens to register as voters.
“Documents like residence certificates and caste certificates are being misused. These are being issued without proper verification, creating an artificial voter base,” said BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.
The party believes that without a thorough pre-verification of all such documents, the SIR 2025 will legitimize fake entries and defeat the very purpose of a voter roll update.
4. The TMC’s Counter: “False Propaganda” and “Political Panic”
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has dismissed the BJP’s claims as “baseless and politically motivated.” Senior party leaders said the BJP’s demand reflects its panic and insecurity after losing ground in Bengal post the 2021 Assembly elections.
“The BJP is trying to discredit the voter list even before the process begins. They are scared because the SIR will expose how weak their organization is on the ground,” said a TMC minister in Kolkata.
TMC leaders argue that the voter roll revision is being conducted under the direct supervision of the Election Commission of India, not the state government. Hence, any allegations of bias are unfounded.
Furthermore, they claim that the BJP’s insistence on “re-verification” is merely a delay tactic meant to disrupt the voter inclusion of legitimate citizens — particularly Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, many of whom support TMC after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) failed to be implemented fully in the state.
5. Political Undertones: The Battle Over the CAA and the Matua Vote
The demand for voter re-verification has deep political roots tied to Bengal’s Matua community — a Hindu refugee group originating from Bangladesh.
The BJP’s 2021 election campaign heavily focused on promising citizenship under the CAA for Matuas and other displaced groups. However, bureaucratic delays and confusion have prevented most of them from obtaining formal citizenship documents.
Now, the TMC argues that the SIR process will confirm the legitimacy of these groups as Indian voters, while the BJP fears that unauthorized infiltrators might also slip through the process.
Thus, the current controversy is as much about political optics as it is about administrative verification.
“This isn’t just about documents — it’s about who gets to define belonging in Bengal,” said political analyst Dr. Pratip Chatterjee of Jadavpur University.
“The BJP wants to appear tough on infiltration, while the TMC wants to project itself as the protector of refugees and marginalized communities.”
6. The EC’s Role: Between Administrative Neutrality and Political Pressure
The Election Commission of India now finds itself in a delicate position. On one hand, it must maintain the integrity of voter lists through proper verification. On the other, it must avoid appearing politically biased by either delaying or accelerating the SIR process based on party demands.
According to sources in Nirvachan Sadan, the EC acknowledged the BJP’s memorandum and promised to “examine the matter in accordance with established procedures.”
However, officials privately noted that document verification falls under the jurisdiction of local electoral officers, who are already guided by strict EC protocols.
“The EC cannot simply suspend or redo document verification across the entire state without credible evidence of systemic fraud,” an EC official said on condition of anonymity.
7. Internal BJP Dynamics: A Fractured Front?
Notably, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, a prominent Matua leader from Bongaon, was absent from the BJP delegation that met the EC.
His absence has sparked speculation about internal divisions within the party over how aggressively to push the infiltration narrative — especially since the Matua community, a traditional BJP vote base, could be alienated by blanket demands for re-verification.
A BJP insider admitted:
“There is a strategic disagreement. Some leaders want to go hard on the infiltration issue, others worry it may alienate Hindu refugees who are still waiting for citizenship under the CAA.”
This underscores the complex electoral balancing act the BJP faces in Bengal — between targeting illegal infiltration and retaining refugee support.
8. Administrative Challenge: The Scale of Verification
Even if the Election Commission were to consider BJP’s demand, the logistical challenges are immense. West Bengal has nearly 7.5 crore registered voters across 81,000 polling booths.
Re-verifying each voter’s supporting documents — birth certificates, residence proofs, caste or refugee certificates — would require thousands of officers and months of fieldwork.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has already stated that the SIR process is on a tight schedule, with enumeration forms being distributed, collected, and processed before the publication of the draft rolls later this year.
Any additional verification step could delay the electoral calendar and potentially overlap with upcoming municipal or parliamentary election preparations.
9. Public Reaction: Fear, Confusion, and Polarization
The BJP’s re-verification demand has created confusion among citizens, especially in border districts where residents already face frequent scrutiny over identity and nationality.
Social workers in North 24-Parganas reported that some villagers fear their names might be struck off the voter list if their documents are questioned.
“People are worried — especially daily-wage workers and refugees. Many of them have only local certificates issued years ago. They are scared that the re-verification demand will lead to exclusions,” said Sukla Mondal, a civic volunteer from Basirhat.
Human rights groups have urged the Election Commission to prioritize inclusion and transparency, ensuring that genuine citizens are not harassed or disenfranchised in the name of scrutiny.
10. The Political Optics: Delhi vs. Kolkata
The BJP’s decision to escalate the issue to the Election Commission in Delhi — rather than addressing it locally — highlights the party’s national-level strategy to spotlight alleged electoral irregularities in opposition-ruled states.
This fits into the BJP’s broader narrative of demanding electoral integrity and documented citizenship, themes that have resonated in states like Assam and Tripura.
However, TMC leaders argue that the BJP is using Delhi institutions to “pressure” state machinery and delegitimize the Bengal government ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
“The BJP wants to control Bengal from Delhi. But Bengal’s voter lists are managed under constitutional autonomy, not political diktat,” said a TMC spokesperson.
11. Legal and Constitutional Perspective
From a legal standpoint, the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Electoral Registration Rules, 1960 govern voter enrollment procedures.
These laws empower the Election Commission and its state-level officers to manage voter rolls, with state governments playing only a supporting role in providing administrative infrastructure.
Therefore, while the BJP can raise concerns, the EC must evaluate them within the framework of these statutes.
For context:
- Section 22 of the RPA allows correction or deletion of entries after due verification.
- Section 23 allows inclusion of names based on documentary evidence, subject to EC approval.
Any mass re-verification would require specific evidence and EC notification, not merely political allegations.
12. Expert Views: Between Security and Suffrage
Election experts and academics have offered nuanced views on the controversy.
Dr. Anindita Mukherjee, a professor of political science, said:
“The BJP’s demand stems from genuine concerns about document authenticity, but blanket re-verification could disenfranchise poor and marginalized citizens who lack access to formal documentation.”
Similarly, law scholar Soumen De noted:
“The EC must strike a balance between ensuring electoral purity and preventing voter suppression. Both infiltration and exclusion are threats to democracy.”
13. The Broader Implications: National Echoes
This Bengal controversy echoes similar tensions seen in Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, which led to years of litigation and social anxiety.
The NRC experience demonstrated how document-based citizenship verification can easily become bureaucratically unmanageable and socially divisive.
Bengal’s voter roll revision — if politicized along similar lines — risks repeating those mistakes, experts warn.
14. The Road Ahead: What the EC Might Do
Sources suggest that the Election Commission may take a middle path — ordering random verification audits in sensitive areas instead of statewide re-verification.
This approach could reassure the BJP about vigilance without derailing the SIR timeline.
Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal continues preparations for the voter roll revision, with strict instructions to avoid irregularities and report discrepancies immediately.
15. Conclusion: The Fight for the Voter List as the New Electoral Battleground
The BJP’s call for voter document re-verification ahead of the West Bengal SIR 2025 underscores how the voter list itself has become a political battleground.
For the BJP, it’s a test of their national narrative on citizenship and security. For the TMC, it’s an opportunity to defend Bengal’s administrative integrity and the rights of legitimate residents.
The Election Commission now stands as the arbiter of truth and trust, balancing transparency with inclusion.
As the SIR begins across Bengal’s 23 districts, one thing is clear: this voter roll revision is no longer just about paperwork — it’s about who belongs, who decides, and who votes in the next chapter of Bengal’s democracy.
Verified External References for Context
- Election Commission of India – Electoral Roll Management Guidelines
- Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal – Voter Roll Revision Notices
- Ministry of Home Affairs – Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019
- Representation of the People Act, 1951 – India Code
- Press Information Bureau – Electoral Reforms and Integrity Measures
Also read: Home | Channel 6 Network – Latest News, Breaking Updates: Politics, Business, Tech & More
