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As West Bengal prepares for the Election Commission’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls starting Tuesday, an administrative exercise has morphed into a major political confrontation. The revision, which will run from November 4 to December 4, has become a test of strength between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), with both viewing it as a curtain-raiser to the 2026 Assembly elections.

While the BJP has hailed the ECI’s move as an effort to enhance transparency, the TMC has accused the poll body of acting under the saffron party’s influence, calling the timing “politically motivated” and aimed at voter manipulation.

TMC Says ECI Acting Under Pressure, Abhishek Banerjee's 'Acid Test' Remark

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to lead a protest rally in Kolkata on Tuesday against what her party claims is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise minorities and marginalised communities, news agency PTI reported.

Her nephew and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has instructed party workers to keep Booth Level Officers (BLOs) under close watch and ensure Booth Level Agents (BLAs) accompany them during field verification. In a virtual meeting with party leaders on Friday, he directed that “war rooms” be established in every Assembly constituency, complete with data teams and communication links.

“The next six months will be the acid test for the party’s organisational machinery,” he reportedly told functionaries, as quoted by PTI.

Despite the urgency, ECI data as of October 30 show the TMC lagging behind rivals in appointing BLAs. The BJP has deployed 294 BLA-1s and 7,912 BLA-2s, followed by CPI(M) with 143 and 6,175 respectively. The TMC, however, has so far managed only 36 BLA-1s and 2,349 BLA-2s, though party sources insist the shortfall will be filled soon.

BJP Flags ‘Forged Documents’ in Bengal Voter Rolls, Urges EC for Enhanced Scrutiny During Revision Drive

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged the Election Commission to conduct strict verification of all documents used for voter registration in West Bengal, alleging widespread irregularities in their issuance and authentication.

A BJP delegation, comprising the party’s state president Samik Bhattacharya and election in-charge Biplab Deb, submitted a detailed memorandum to the EC on Monday, citing “large-scale manipulation” of official documents such as birth and residence certificates, caste and forest rights papers, and family registers.

The delegation emphasised that the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls must be carried out under “enhanced scrutiny and independent verification” to ensure fairness.

“Given the extensive manipulation of documentary mechanisms and the compromised state machinery, it is crucial that the forthcoming special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal be conducted under enhanced scrutiny and independent verification,” the memorandum stated.

The BJP warned that accepting documents without safeguards “would defeat the objective of maintaining a clean and legitimate electoral roll.”

After the meeting, BJP’s West Bengal in-charge Amit Malviya told reporters that the delegation had presented “point-by-point details” of how irregular documents were allegedly being issued to “regularise illegal infiltration” in the state.

“We presented to the commission point-by-point details on how irregular documents are being issued in West Bengal to regularise illegal infiltration in the state,” Malviya said. “We have seen how documents issued in West Bengal have been found in possession of infiltrators across the country.”

BJP Points To ‘Duare Sarkar’ Camps

The BJP alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led administration had, from time to time, issued documents bearing signatures of officers not authorised to do so. “This has created a situation where every document needs to be vetted by the EC,” Malviya said, adding that the poll panel had assured the party of measures to uphold document integrity.

In its memorandum, the BJP claimed that forged and backdated certificates — including birth, residence, and caste documents — were being issued through state initiatives such as the ‘Duare Sarkar’ drive.

“Numerous field reports indicate that since 2020, there has been an exponential rise in the number of certificates issued under these drives. Many of these are being used to create a false trail of citizenship and residence, thereby undermining the very purpose of the SIR,” the memorandum stated.

The party further claimed that a “vast number of OBC-A certificates” had been issued to members of the Muslim community, “many of whom are alleged to be illegal infiltrators.” It also noted that the Calcutta High Court had already declared the OBC-A category illegal, with the matter still pending before the court.

The BJP demanded that birth certificates issued after June 24 this year be excluded from the SIR process unless verified on a “case-by-case basis” by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). It further alleged that “backdated certificates” were being issued in connivance with local officials and political cadres, sometimes using fabricated general diary entries in police stations to falsely report the loss or damage of original documents.

The party also called for the creation of a comprehensive database of all certificates issued since January 1, 2002, by district magistrates, to be shared with the chief electoral officer for verification. It urged that the EC identify officers authorised to issue these documents and secure written confirmation that each applicant’s eligibility and residency had been personally verified.

According to the memorandum, certificates issued under any order currently sub judice should only be accepted if supported by at least one additional valid document from the EC’s prescribed list of 11 proofs.

The BJP also requested the poll panel to accept record-of-rights (land khatians) recorded before the first Duare Sarkar camp in 2020 and Provident Fund for Landless Agricultural Labourers registrations prior to the last SIR as additional supporting documents for the upcoming revision exercise.

Malviya said the party was confident that the EC would “ensure the sanctity of the documents is maintained” during the revision process.

BJP Alleges “Ghost Voters”, TMC Warns of Resistance

Previously, the BJP has alleged large-scale voter roll inflation in Bengal, claiming that during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, over 40 lakh duplicate or fake names existed. “Those who thrived on ghost voters and bogus ballots are panicking,” said BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, expressing confidence that the revision will eliminate at least one crore false entries, as quoted by PTI.

TMC leaders have hit back sharply. Barrackpore MP Partha Bhowmik recently warned, “If even one genuine voter’s name was deleted, local BJP leaders will not be allowed to step out of their homes.”

Abhishek Banerjee has also threatened to bring one lakh people from Bengal to the ECI’s office in Delhi if voter names are “arbitrarily removed.” The BJP, in response, has accused the TMC of using its “booth muscle” under the cover of a “pliant police force.”

Training Row, Security Concerns Mar ECI Drive

Amid the political slugfest, the ECI has trained over 80,000 BLOs and issued a 16-point guideline along with a mobile app to streamline operations. Training for BLAs is scheduled to conclude on November 3.

However, the process has not been without friction. Teachers deputed as BLOs have protested being marked absent in school registers during training. Many have also sought central security, citing threats and intimidation. “We are being sent to volatile areas without protection,” said a teacher from North 24 Parganas district.

The TMC has alleged that four people have taken their own lives fearing deletion from the rolls, while another person is hospitalised after allegedly consuming poison. The BJP has dismissed these claims as “manufactured melodrama.”

According to PTI, observers say the unfolding situation reflects Bengal’s familiar political pattern, an administrative process turning into a turf war. In both the 2021 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP leaned on central forces, while the TMC banked on its robust booth network.

“The SIR will test not only the integrity of the voter list but also the resilience of these two armies, one administrative, one organisational,” said a Kolkata-based political scientist.

According to the ECI, the draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, with objections accepted until January 8. The final voter list will be released on February 7, just months before the 2026 Assembly elections expected in April–May.