The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has raised a major alarm and called for an immediate door-to-door verification drive after a staggering number of voters were removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's own assembly constituency. The party alleges that the Election Commission has wrongfully deleted a massive number of voters, sparking a fresh political controversy in the state.
Massive Deletion Sparks Political Firestorm
According to the TMC, a shocking 45,000 voters have been deleted from the electoral list of the Bhabanipur assembly seat, which is represented by Mamata Banerjee herself. The party expressed strong dismay over this action, claiming the deletions were carried out without proper verification or ground-level checks. The issue came to light recently, with the TMC formally raising its objections on 17 December 2025.
The party's core grievance lies in the manner in which these names were removed. A large proportion of these 45,000 individuals were reportedly marked by the Election Commission under categories such as 'dead', 'shifted to another area', or being 'absent' from their registered addresses. The TMC contends that these classifications are inaccurate and have been done in a haphazard manner, potentially disenfranchising legitimate voters.
TMC's Demand for Scrutiny and Verification
In response to this large-scale deletion, the Trinamool Congress has demanded a thorough, door-to-door scrutiny of the electoral list in the affected areas. The party insists that physical verification is the only reliable method to confirm the status of each voter and to correct any errors made during the summary revision process. They argue that relying solely on official records or third-party data without field verification can lead to such massive and erroneous purges.
The TMC's stance highlights a deep-seated concern about the integrity of the voter list, especially in a high-profile constituency like Bhabanipur. With state-level and national elections always on the horizon in West Bengal's charged political atmosphere, the accuracy of electoral rolls is a matter of paramount importance for all parties involved.
Implications for West Bengal's Political Landscape
This incident is set to intensify the ongoing political tussle in West Bengal between the ruling TMC and opposition parties, with the Election Commission often caught in the middle. Allegations of voter list manipulation are not new in the state, but the scale of the deletion from the Chief Minister's seat gives this episode a particularly sharp edge. It raises questions about administrative processes and fuels political narratives ahead of future electoral battles.
The demand for door-to-door verification puts the onus on the election authorities to demonstrate transparency and due diligence. How the Election Commission responds to this demand will be closely watched, as it will set a precedent for handling similar disputes in other constituencies. The outcome could significantly impact voter confidence and the political strategies of all major players in West Bengal.
As of now, the TMC remains miffed and vigilant, pushing for corrective measures to ensure that not a single genuine voter is deprived of their right to vote due to clerical or procedural errors. The situation underscores the fragile and fiercely contested nature of democratic exercises in one of India's most politically active states.
