Page 4 - West Bengal

Bengal SIR hearings disrupted in Hooghly after TMC MLA stages protest

SIR hearings at Chinsurah-Mogra block office in West Bengal's Hooghly district were halted for some time on Monday after TMC MLA Asit Mazumdar objected to the exclusion of booth-level agents (BLAs) during the process, officials said. The hearings, which are being conducted at the block office for three assembly constituencies, were stopped after Mazumdar insisted that BLAs be allowed to remain present during the process. He demanded that officials either permit BLAs to attend the hearings or give in writing that they would not be allowed. "Unless BLAs are allowed or officials give in writing that they will not be allowed, we will not allow the hearings," Mazumdar told reporters, following which the entry and exit gates of the block office were closed, preventing people from entering the premises. As per Election Commission guidelines, BLAs are not permitted to be present during such hearings. Later, Mazumdar toned down his stand and allowed the hearings to resume, citing humanitar

Kapil Sibal criticises govt over deaths of 33 BLOs during SIR exercise

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal took a swipe at the government on Monday over the death of booth-level officers in various parts of the country engaged in the SIR exercise, asking whether the presence of one alleged "infiltrator" was not okay, but the death of BLOs was okay. Sibal's remarks came a day after a Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead in West Bengal's Bankura district, triggering allegations that work-related pressure linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may have played a role. "Yet another suicide by a Bengal BLO. Total pan-India: 33. If one alleged 'ghuspetia (infiltrator)', that's not OK, if 33 BLOs die, is that Ok?" Sibal said in a post on X. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said last month that the government would throw out infiltrators from the country and alleged that some political parties are opposing the SIR exercise as they want the names of infiltrators to remain on the electoral rolls. The latest death of a BLO occurred in t

Beyond legacy, towards power as heirs vie for votes in state elections

Across southern and eastern India, upcoming Assembly elections place the spotlight on political heirs looking to translate legacy, governance and organisation into votes

Abhishek Banerjee to launch 21-day campaign against SIR in Bengal

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhhishek Banerjee will launch a 21-day campaign from January 2 to 22 to ensure that not a single legitimate voter's name is struck off the final rolls for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the party said on Friday. "From January 2, 2026, Abhishek Banerjee will take to the streets and stand among the people to ensure that no legitimate voter is disenfranchised, and no Bengali is humiliated, intimidated, or harassed by the BJP-EC combine," the party said in a statement in its official WhatsApp group. Banerjee will start the campaign in South 24 Parganas where his Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency is situated, and will then move to Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts on January 3. He will also visit Uttar Dinajpur, Malda, Kolkata, Hooghly, and other districts including Krishnanagar, Midnapore, Kanthi, Bongaon, and Ranaghat, concluding the campaign on January 22 in Hooghly. On Friday, Banerjee launched a month-long 'connect and

Reveal Bangladeshis, Rohingyas out of 5.82 million deleted voters: Abhishek

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday said that the Election Commission must come out with the number of illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas out of the 58.20 lakh names deleted after the publication of draft electoral rolls in West Bengal under the ongoing SIR. Alleging that Bengal was being targeted selectively by the Centre since the TMC won the 2021 assembly polls in the state, he claimed that the "agenda is to harass the people of the state". The Trinamool Congress national general secretary also said that Bengal's population is 10.05 crore, and the number of voter deletions in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is 58.20 lakh. "This is just 5.79 per cent of the population, the lowest among all the states where SIR is being held," Banerjee said while addressing a press conference here. He demanded that the "ECI come out with the number of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas out of 58.20 lakh names deleted".

TMC says EC deleted lakhs of voters in West Bengal to benefit BJP

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday accused the Election Commission (EC) of deleting the names of lakhs of legitimate voters from the electoral rolls under the SIR exercise to help the BJP ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls. A TMC delegation consisting of ministers Chandrima Bhattacharya, Sashi Panja, Aroop Biswas, Manas Bhuniya, Malay Ghatak met Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal at his office and submitted a memorandum listing their grievances. "We are seeing different sets of rules and practices being applied in Bengal compared to other states. In the name of cross-checking absent, shifted and duplicate' voters, the EC has omitted around 58 lakh genuine voters by branding them as unmapped'," Bhattacharya told reporters after the meeting. She alleged that the action seems to be part of the bigger gameplan to delete two crore voters' names from the electoral rolls in order to punish the people of the state for rejecting the BJP repeatedly. Biswas alleged that the mobil

SIR hearings to begin today in Bengal; 320K unmapped voters to be covered

The hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal will commence on Saturday, with 3,234 centres set up across the state, a senior official said. Around 32 lakh "unmapped" voters, those who are unable to establish linkage with the 2002 electoral roll, will be called for hearings in the first phase, he said. Voters will be allowed to submit any of 12 recognised documents, including Aadhaar, as proof of identity and address, the official at the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said on Friday. However, the commission has clarified that the Aadhaar card will not be accepted as a standalone document. "Electoral lists prepared during the recent SIR exercise in Bihar will also be considered valid documents. However, submission of fake or forged documents will be treated as a punishable offence," the official warned. State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said all preparations for the hearings have been completed. "Th

West Bengal SIR: No large-scale impact on Muslim-dominated districts

Largest voter removal in West Bengal in at least a decade

Messi event chaos: Calcutta HC refuses to interfere in SIT investigation

The Calcutta High Court refused to interfere at this stage in a probe being conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) over chaos during Argentine football legend Lionel Messi's event at Salt Lake stadium here on December 13. A division bench presided by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul held that the investigation and enquiry in the case is in the preliminary stage and no material could be placed before it to establish that "investigation/enquiry is vitiated or polluted". The petitioners in three PILs sought transfer of the investigation into the incident to CBI as well as the refund of ticket prices to the spectators, a section of whom had gone on a rampage over not being able to see their favourite star and early conclusion of the event following a messy situation on the ground. Some people were seen jostling around Messi, thus blocking the view of those seated on the stands. Rejecting a prayer for interim relief on the matter, the court said that at this stage, it is not ...

Mamata alleges gross errors in EC's SIR exercise, accuses poll body of bias

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the Election Commission, alleging that there were gross errors in the SIR exercise conducted so far in the state. Addressing a meeting of TMC's booth level agents at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here, Banerjee also alleged that the EC was appointing observers without informing the state govt, and working to foster the BJP's interests. The Election Commission is working only as per the directions of the BJP. There are gross errors in mapping of voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in the state, she alleged. The TMC supremo also asserted that cental officers who have been appointed micro observers for SIR hearings have little knowledge of the local language, and are unfit to conduct the verifications during the second phase of the ongoing revision exercise.

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir to launch new party in West Bengal today

Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir will launch a new political party today, aiming to work for the common man and play a key role in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections

Modi sounds poll bugle in Bengal, Assam; flags illegal immigration

PM hits out at TMC & Congress over the illegal immigrant issue; Opposition accuses him of neglecting other concerns in both states

Urban Bengal sees biggest voter deletions in EC's SIR draft rolls

The data revealed that 2.46 million voters, or 3.15 per cent, were identified as deceased, while 3.26 million were found to have shifted residence or were absent

BJP supporters protest across Bengal over attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Supporters of BJP and right-wing outfits on Saturday staged protests across the city and its outskirts against incidents of arson, loot and killing of minority Hindu community members in Bangladesh. In Kolkata's northern outskirts Sodepur, Trinamool Congress Dumdum MP Saugata Roy had to get down from his vehicle and walk around 1km before boarding an auto-rickshaw as BJP supporters continued to block the Sodepur-Madhyamgram Road. Similar protests were reported in the CIT Road-Beckbagan area of the city, as well as in Howrah and other parts of the state, with saffron-clad youths blocking traffic for around half an hour, demanding protection for Hindus in Bangladesh. In Sodepur, Roy, who was heading towards the Panihati Utsav winter carnival to inaugurate the festival, was stranded in his car for about half an hour as protestors refused to lift the blockade and allow his vehicle to pass. Around 100 BJP youth wing activists of North 24 Parganas district burnt tyres on the road and ...

Comparing Murshidabad murders with B'desh lynching is misleading: WB Police

The West Bengal Police on Saturday said that attempts to draw parallels between the recent lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh with the murders of a father-son duo in the state's Murshidabad district eight months ago were "highly inciteful, factually misleading, and intended to disturb public order". The police, in a statement, said that 13 people accused in the murder of father-son duo, Haragobindo and Chandan Das, in Murshidabad were promptly arrested and a "strong charge sheet" was filed, while judgment in the case is expected soon. The two people were killed during communal violence in the Bangladesh-bordering district during protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act. A 25-year-old Hindu man, identified as Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Mymensingh city in Bangladesh on Thursday. "Drawing parallels with the events in Bangladesh is nothing but a disingenuous attempt to spread communal mistrust where the law is already .

Modi's Bengal rally speech ignored Matuas' citizenship concerns: TMC

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the Taherpur rally in West Bengal showed his "lack of concern" for the Matuas, who have been facing uncertainties over deletion of names post publication of the draft electoral rolls under the SIR. TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh also claimed that the prime minister did not utter a single word about the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states. "Modi's speech lacked vision and responsibility. He did not address the concerns of the Matuas," he told reporters. For the Matuas, a Dalit Hindu refugee community which migrated from Bangladesh over decades following religious persecution, the first state-wide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) since 2002 has created anxieties among voters over identity and citizenship. The names of over 58,20,898 people have been excluded from the draft electoral rolls under SIR, reducing West Bengal's electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 .

Messi was unhappy about being touched at Kolkata event, organiser tells SIT

Satadru Dutta, the arrested main organiser of Lionel Messi event here on December 13, has told investigators that the football icon was "unhappy with being touched or hugged" during his appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium and left before staying there full-time as scheduled, a source in the SIT said on Saturday. During prolonged questioning by officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Dutta said Messi "did not like being touched on the back or being hugged" and that the concern had been conveyed in advance by the foreign security officials responsible for the footballer's protection, he said. "Despite repeated public announcements to restrain the crowd, there was no impact. The manner in which Messi was surrounded and embraced was completely unacceptable to the World Cup-winning footballer," Dutta told investigators during his grilling on Friday, the source said. West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas was seen in close proximity to Messi throughout the programme, with ...

In PM's absence, Bengal Guv launches highway projects worth Rs 3,200 cr

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday unveiled national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 crore in West Bengal with an aim to boost economic activities and tourism in the state. Bose officially launched the projects from Netaji Park in Taherpur area of Nadia district instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was initially supposed to unveil the development projects from the ground, but whose helicopter failed to land in the area on account of insufficient visibility due to dense fog over the region. Modi was forced to return to the Kolkata airport from where he later addressed the crowd in a virtual audio mode. Bose inaugurated the 66.7 km-long four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district, while he laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Barasat-Barajaguli stretch of the highway in the adjacent district of North 24 Parganas. It has remained our constant endeavour to ensure modern connectivity to those far-flung areas of Benga

Bihar election results have opened doors for BJP's win in Bengal: PM Modi

Addressing a rally in West Bengal, PM Modi accused the TMC of shielding infiltrators, alleging appeasement politics; he also promised to end 'maha jungle raj' in the state

PM Modi to address 1st rally in Bengal today after draft voter list release

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit West Bengal's Nadia district on Saturday, where he will inaugurate national highway projects and address a public rally, amid heightened political tensions over the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. This would be Modi's first visit to the state since the draft SIR rolls were published, and the third in the past five months. The Prime Minister, political observers said, is scheduled to address the growing unease amongst the Matua community members post the publication of the draft rolls from his strategically located BJP rally venue in Taherpur area of Ranaghat, not far from the heartland of the Namasudra Hindu community in adjacent Bongaon. In the process, Modi is likely to sound the BJP's bugle for the assembly polls, which are due in the state early next year and finalise the roadmap for the party's big push for the crucial elections. The people of West Bengal are benefiting from numerous pro-people initiatives of the central ..