Matuas’ fate remains uncertain amid SIR in poll-bound Bengal

As political temperatures rise in poll-bound West Bengal over the contentious special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the status of the roughly two crore-strong Matua community in the state, which holds the key to the fortunes of both the ruling TMC and the BJP, hangs in the balance.

Fears of mass disenfranchisement are palpable not only among the refugee community but also among leaders from regions in West Bengal where they live in sizeable numbers.

When the 10-member TMC delegation met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on November 28, the party’s Rajya Sabha member Mamata Thakur, who belongs to the community, told him that the Matuas do not possess any of the 11 documents required for SIR and sought to know whether they could be added to West Bengal’s voters’ list on the basis of Aadhaar cards, which they do possess.

However, there was no clear response from the Election Commission, sources aware of the development informed this newspaper.

The concern regarding the Matuas losing out on inclusion in the state’s voters’ list is quite palpable and is significant for both the TMC and the BJP, as they dominate at least 30 assembly seats in West Bengal and have a sizeable population in 70 assembly seats, all of which are SC-reserved. West Bengal has a total of 294 seats.

The Matuas comprise 17 per cent of Bengal’s population, according to the 2011 Census. This Hindu Namasudra community had fled from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and settled in West Bengal.

Since SIR is being conducted in the state for the first time since 2002 to remove duplicate, deceased and ineligible voters, the Matuas, who have been living in the state for decades without proper documentation, are facing pressure as they are finding it difficult to collect the relevant documents needed for SIR, sources aware of the details said.

While the TMC has publicly opposed the SIR, it remains wary of losing further ground in Matua-majority areas such as Bongaon, Gaighata, Swarupnagar, Ashoknagar and Krishnanagar Assembly seats, where the BJP made deep inroads in 2019 and 2021.

This is why West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a rally in the bordering district of Thakurnagar on November 25.

The future of the Matuas, however, will become clear once SIR is completed in the state and will have a significant bearing on the forthcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, scheduled for May 2026.