TMC leader Abhishek accuses BJP of ‘selecting voters’ through SIR, vows to take fight to Delhi

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the BJP, accusing it of using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to “select voters” instead of letting people elect governments, and warned that any attempt to delete legitimate voters will be met with protests in New Delhi.

He alleged that the saffron party was trying to “snatch away the voting rights of Bengalis” ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, but asserted that the state’s people would give a “befitting reply”.

Addressing a rally of the party’s students’ wing, Banerjee said, “Earlier, voters used to elect a government, but now the BJP is selecting voters through the undemocratic SIR process. Our fight against this will continue. If the BJP dares to delete a single legitimate voter, we will hit the streets of Delhi in protest.”

“The BJP cannot win Bengal democratically, so they are trying to tamper with the voters’ list. But I assure you that the mandate in the 2026 polls will be bigger than 2021. Everyone is against the All India Trinamool Congress — a section of the judiciary, BJP, central agencies —, but 10 crore Bengalis are with us. If the BJP has the strength, let them even try to even cross 50 seats,” Banerjee added.

Banerjee also slammed the Centre for not clearing the TMC’s proposed Aparajita Bill for women’s safety.

“We had brought the Aparajita Bill to ensure women’s security, but the Centre is deliberately sitting on it. This shows their double standards when it comes to women’s safety,” he alleged.