Hearings for the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll (SIR) are underway in West Bengal. Elderly, sick, and pregnant women are being summoned to these hearings, for the Special Intensive Revision of the voter list. The ruling party Trinamool Congress has repeatedly voiced its concerns, alleging that the Election Commission has ulterior motives.

As SIR hearings begin today, December 29, in West Bengal’s Bankura district, Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee is paying a visit to the district tomorrow. She will be holding a public meeting at the Birsingha Maidan in Barjora. People are eagerly waiting for the message she delivers at this rally, both in opposition to the SIR exercise and regarding her strategy for winning Bankura in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections.

According to political observers, the Trinamool Congress aims to convey three or four key messages through this rally in Bankura’s Barjora. These include standing with the people who are being “harassed” by the SIR process, highlighting the state’s stance on industry and employment, calling for a united fight against alleged central government discrimination, and bringing the worker and middle-class vote bank back under the party’s umbrella. Furthermore, given the strong BJP organisation in this area bordering West and East Burdwan, the Chief Minister’s direct rally is a counter-political weapon for the Trinamool Congress. The preparations for this political battle are now clearly visible at the Barjora grounds.

Preparations ahead of CM Mamata Banerjee’s visit in Bankura

The Barjora industrial area has long been a political battleground. Situated between the Durgapur-Asansol industrial belt and the rural vote bank of Bankura, Barjora is extremely important. The votes of factory workers are crucial here, as are those of marginal farmers and families of migrant workers. Although the Trinamool Congress strengthened its hold in this area after 2011, even Trinamool leaders acknowledge that the BJP’s influence has grown in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The ruling party sees the Chief Minister’s rally on Tuesday as a “turning point” to address this gap.

Preparations for Mamata Banerjee’s rally in Bankura are in full swing. A stage has been constructed at the Birsingha Maidan in Barjora. It is approximately 120 feet long and 60 feet wide. A separate VIP corridor and media gallery have been set up in front of the stage. According to party sources, transportation has been arranged on multiple routes to bring people from various factory areas, settlements near mines, and areas bordering West and East Burdwan districts.

Why Trinamool Congress has been opposing the SIR in West Bengal?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) including party Supremo Mamata Banerjee has been vehemently opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)—an exercise by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to update and “purify” electoral rolls—based on allegations of disenfranchisement and political targeting.

The TMC alleges that the SIR is a “voter-cleansing operation” and a backdoor method for the BJP-led central government to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal. Party leaders claim the exercise is designed to “quietly push Bengalis out” of the state by branding them as illegal infiltrators.

The TMC has also criticised the deletion of over 58 lakh names from the draft rolls, arguing that many genuine voters, including elderly and deceased citizens’ family members, have been unfairly removed. The party has slammed the ECI for “torturing” and “harassing” senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwDs) by requiring them to attend physical hearings at distant camps rather than providing home-based verification.

In the past one month, TMC leaders have flagged dozens of “SIR-related deaths,” including Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who allegedly died due to overwork or stress during the intensive revision process. TMC leaders have referred to the ECI as a “WhatsApp Commission” and a “front for the BJP,” alleging that the commission is operating on central directions to gain an electoral advantage for the BJP ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

The TMC has taken its opposition to the streets with rallies in border districts and has also approached the Supreme Court to seek a stay on the revision process.

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