Mamata Banerjee threatens unrest over removal of names in SIR in West Bengal, urges women to attack ECI officials with kitchen tools

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has warned that she will protest by sitting on a dharna if even one eligible voter’s name is removed from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The state is currently going through this review of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

Criticism of the Election Commission’s move

Mamata Banerjee said she has not even filled her enumeration form yet and questioned whether she needs to prove her citizenship to a political party she called “rioters.” She expressed strong distrust in the Election Commission’s update of the voter list, saying the officials overseeing the work are biased and come from Delhi with a BJP agenda.

The Election Commission started the second phase of this revision in October, after completing it in Bihar. The process is ongoing in 12 states and union territories, including West Bengal. The state government, led by Mamata’s Trinamool Congress, has opposed the move, saying it helps the BJP gain an electoral advantage.

The Election Commission recently extended the deadline for publishing the final updated voter list in West Bengal. The new date for releasing the list is now 14th February, 2026, instead of an earlier schedule. The extension is to allow proper verification and adjustment of polling stations across the state, considering the scale of the work involved.

Strong words against the BJP and Amit Shah

At a rally in Krishnanagar, Mamata Banerjee accused the Union Home Minister Amit Shah of being “dangerous” and said people can see it in his eyes. She claimed the BJP wants to label all Bengalis as foreigners and send them to detention camps, a move she strongly opposed.

She also said the SIR is being used as a tool to intimidate voters just months before the state elections. “If even one eligible voter’s name is removed, I will sit on a dharna,” she stated firmly, making it clear there would be no detention camps in West Bengal.

Mobilising women to stand strong

CM Mamata Banerjee urged the women of West Bengal to stand up if their names get struck off. She told them to be ready with kitchen tools, the things they use to cook, as a symbol of their strength and readiness to fight back.

“Mothers and sisters, if your names are removed, you have the tools and the power to protest. Women will lead, and men will follow behind,” she said.

She also expressed her belief in secularism and criticised the BJP for trying to divide people by bringing outsiders and using money during elections.


Written by OpIndia Staff
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