Kolkata, 25 November (H.S.). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday warned that the situation in the state could turn “frightening” once the draft voters’ list under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision is published on December 9. Addressing a public meeting in Bongaon, she said the state government would directly intervene to help citizens secure essential documents so that no one is denied certificates or required papers during the process.

Banerjee said the scale of disruption would become visible immediately after the publication of the draft list, claiming that Booth Level Officers were already facing severe obstacles on the ground. She alleged that the absence of internet in several pockets had stalled the uploading of enumeration forms and that the AI-driven system being used by the Election Commission was resulting in entries being placed in incorrect sections.

Her statement came a day after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee addressed roughly 25,000 party leaders in a virtual meeting and described the second phase of the SIR as far more critical. On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee went a step further, asserting that during the next phase the state administration would work alongside the ruling party to ensure people received caste certificates and other mandatory documents without delay. After the rally, she led a four-kilometre march through the area.

Banerjee invoked the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections, claiming that sixty lakh names were deleted from the voters’ list there after the SIR exercise and that the impact was visible in the electoral outcome. She cautioned that Bengal was “not Bihar” and accused the BJP of being desperate to seize control of the state. If targeted, she said, she would launch a nationwide movement and travel across the country after the polls to challenge what she described as a deliberate attempt to manipulate electoral rolls.

Without naming them, Banerjee also directed criticism at the Chief Election Commissioner and the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, questioning why the SIR exercise had been initiated with such compressed timelines. She simultaneously targeted the BJP and the Centre over issues concerning the Matua community, alleging that Matua Federation cards were being distributed in exchange for money and that individuals involved in the process were travelling abroad to secure personal advantages. She added that if wrongdoing was established, the Trinamool Congress itself would demand arrests.

Referring to ongoing religious and cultural projects, Banerjee reminded the audience that after the construction of Jagannath Dham in Digha, she had announced plans for a “Durgangan” in Kolkata. On Tuesday, she declared that the foundation stone for the project would be laid in December or January. She also disclosed that land measuring twenty-five acres and four acres respectively had been approved near Siliguri for the Mahakal temple initiative.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh