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The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the Election Commission is going on in West Bengal. The state’s ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the central ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are at loggerheads over this initiative to amend the voter list. By making SIR an election issue, both the parties have entered the political fray even before the elections. TMC and BJP have fielded their workers in 294 assemblies of West Bengal.

West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari and Union Minister Sukant Majumdar are holding press conferences and meeting people every day. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself is holding rallies and raising questions on the Centre. Questions are being raised about what the Congress leadership is doing in West Bengal.

What is BJP doing?

BJP has activated its workers at more than 70,000 polling booths in West Bengal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a meeting with 17 Lok Sabha MPs from West Bengal in December itself. BJP has created 6 different zones in West Bengal. The top leadership of BJP is viewing every zone as a ‘war room’. Mangal Pandey, Sunil Bansal, Bhupendra Yadav and former Tripura CM Biplab Deb have gathered in West Bengal.

BJP is trying to convince the general public whether Left or TMC have been in power, everyone has rigged the elections, this time the voter list is being cleaned, there will be fair elections and BJP will be elected and come to power. BJP is strong in West Bengal at the organizational level. Till 2011, the party was limited to zero seats, in 2016 it occupied 3 seats. Suddenly in 2021, the party surprised everyone by winning 77 seats. Now BJP had decided to further strengthen its organization at the grassroots level. BJP leaders have set a target of winning more than 160 seats.

In the initial days, there were reports of rift regarding Soumik Bhattacharya, Dilip Ghosh and Sukant Majumdar, which has now been resolved by BJP. Statements of big leaders are coming out similar on every issue. The discussion called by BJP in Parliament on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram is also being linked to the elections. BJP is looking for its way in West Bengal with the help of central schemes and Hindutva. There are also talks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah’s visit to the state.

What is Trinamool Congress doing?

Trinamool Congress is the ruling party of the state. Mamata Banerjee is touring minority dominated assemblies on the issue of SIR. Mamata Banerjee is mobilizing minority votes in districts like Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, North-South Pargana. There are more than 43 seats where Muslim candidates decide victory or defeat. He says that BJP is cutting off the votes of this community under SIR. BJP says that on these seats, names of Bangladeshi infiltrators are being included in the voter list, against whom the Election Commission is conducting shortlisting.

Where is Congress missing?

Congress is facing existential crisis in West Bengal. Adhir Ranjan Choudhary is a big face of Congress in West Bengal but lost the election to Yusuf Pathan of TMC in the Lok Sabha elections held in the year 2024. Congress is continuously getting marginalized in the state. Congress could not win a single seat in 2021. Congress could win 2 seats in the 2024 elections. On one hand, while the leaders of BJP and TMC have already started strengthening the organization, Congress does not have a big face to take forward and prepare a strategy for the elections. In West Bengal, Congress has made Subhankar Sarkar the president but questions have been raised about his popularity.

Is Congress making a mistake?

Congress remained confused in 2024 whether to speak against Mamata Banerjee or not. Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary remained vocal but big leaders remained silent because of the India alliance. In the 2026 assembly elections, Congress has not yet decided whether to fight with BJP or Trinamool Congress. TMC India believes in alliance but is not ready to share seats with Congress in the state.

The oldest party of the country has its existence in the state, has its support base but it is not decided who is the leader. Shumbhakar Sarkar was appointed the president of the West Bengal Congress unit in September 2024. Meetings are being held in the party at the secretary level but there is not even discussion in the national media. At the central level, Rahul Gandhi and the Election Commission are also raising issues like SIR, EVM checking and voter list amendment, but at the grassroots level, the workers of the organization are seen far away.