West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, hit the streets of Kolkata on Tuesday, 4th November, leading a massive protest rally. She and her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), are strongly opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s voter lists. The TMC is calling this whole process a form of “silent invisible rigging” by the BJP-led central government and the Election Commission.
VIDEO | At a rally in Kolkata, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) says, "I ask people to be ready to hit streets in Delhi against death of 7 Bengali voters due to SIR."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 4, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/u7B5w9HCzi
Thousands of TMC supporters came out for the march, which started at the B.R. Ambedkar statue on Red Road and ended 3.8 kilometres away at Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore.
Mamata Banerjee, wearing her signature white cotton saree and slippers, was right at the front of the procession. She often paused to greet people who were watching from their balconies or the pavements. Her nephew and the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, walked close behind her, waving to the big crowd.
They were joined by other senior TMC leaders and ministers, all surrounded by supporters waving party flags, shouting slogans, and holding colourful posters.
During the rally, the TMC made some very serious claims. Abhishek Banerjee said that seven people in West Bengal have died in the last seven days simply out of “fear” over this SIR exercise. He asked the crowd to be ready for a “mega protest in Delhi” because of these deaths. He also said that the next state election in 2026 isn’t just about re-electing Mamata Banerjee for a fourth time, but it’s a fight to bring the BJP down to “zero seats” in West Bengal.
Mamata Banerjee also spoke strongly against the Centre and the Election Commission (EC). She challenged the EC, asking “how many Rohingyas, Bangladeshis” were found in Bihar after a similar SIR process there. She gave a strong warning that if even one single eligible voter is “removed from the electoral rolls in Bengal,” the TMC would “ensure the fall of the BJP government.” She said the BJP is spreading “fake news” against Bengal and unfairly branding “Bengali migrants Bangladeshis.”
The Chief Minister also brought up the issue of multiple ID cards. She asked, “How much did you pay for Aadhaar cards? You (Centre) took Rs 1,000 from each person.” She then questioned why the government would take money for Aadhaar but still say it’s not needed for the voter list or ration card. “Who are you cheating?” she asked.
She listed all the different cards people need, like ration, health, PAN, Aadhaar, and Kisan cards, and said the best solution is to “remove the Delhi government.”
This SIR of the voter lists, which just began, is the first big update of its kind in West Bengal since 2002, and it’s already a major political flashpoint. The BJP’s side is that the SIR is a good thing, aimed at bringing greater transparency and cleansing the voter rolls. But the TMC questions the timing and intent, saying the EC is working under pressure from the saffron party to manipulate the lists before the 2026 election.
Political watchers are calling this a “battle of two forces” the government’s administration versus the TMC’s powerful street-level organisation.
