Is Mamata Banerjee Protecting Infiltrators for Votes?
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Key Takeaways
Kolkata, Sep 3 (NationPress) Advocating for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Sunil Bansal asserted on Wednesday that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is shielding infiltrators for electoral gains.
During an event in Kolkata focused on the 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, the prominent BJP figure remarked that certain political factions, including the Trinamool Congress, defend Bangladeshi infiltrators as long as these individuals remain on the voter list.
"We have been working to eliminate Bangladeshi infiltrators from our nation. However, some political entities are intent on safeguarding these infiltrators, desiring for them to stay on the voter rolls for their own interests," Bansal stated.
The BJP official mentioned, "Recently, the central government, in cooperation with the Election Commission of India, executed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Constitution mandates that only Indian citizens possess the right to vote."
He further criticized the Trinamool Congress, RJD, and Congress for allegedly supporting infiltrators to gain electoral advantage.
"This is a chance to expel these infiltrators from our country, and the first step is to eliminate their names from the electoral rolls," he emphasized.
Targeting Chief Minister Banerjee, he remarked that the instant the names of infiltrators are purged from the voter list, she will be the first to oppose the measure.
"Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi, and Tejashwi Yadav back them because they hold voting rights," he claimed.
There is growing speculation that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may soon undertake the SIR of West Bengal's electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 state Assembly elections.
Sources within the ECI noted that preparations for this exercise are already in motion.
However, the Chief Minister has declared her opposition to the SIR process in Bengal.