Kolkata, 21 November (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will once again take to the streets to protest against the SIR. Next Tuesday, she will hold a large rally in Matuagarh in North 24 Parganas. The rally will proceed from Chandpara to Thakurnagar, after which the Chief Minister will address a public meeting at Trikon Park in Bongaon.

There is a heated debate in the state regarding the SIR process, which aims to ensure error-free voter lists. The Election Commission has issued clear guidelines regarding the entire process, but despite this, many concerns remain. A section of the Matua community, in particular, fears that the SIR process could result in the deletion of many of their members from the voter list. They have been raising their voice against this concern.

Some organizations of the Matua community recently began a hunger strike, which lasted for 13 days. This fast was called off at the request of Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Following this, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will personally reach out to the Matua community to express their support.

According to sources, the Chief Minister will arrive in Matuagarh from Babughat on Tuesday. She will hold a rally from Chandpara to Thakurnagar and then hold a meeting at Trikon Park in Bangaon. Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have previously held rallies and meetings in Kolkata against the SIR. This is considered the second major event.

Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in West Bengal next year. Just before the elections, the Election Commission has initiated the process of SIR of voter lists in 12 states, including Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has long opposed this move. The party alleges that the names of legitimate voters can be removed under the guise of SIR, and that this is all part of a political conspiracy by the BJP.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey