Mamata Banerjee Scores Self-Goal by Stirring Up Voters’ List Issue

Nearly a year before West Bengal goes to elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised concerns about electoral malpractice, this time focusing on the voters’ list rather than EVMs. Historically, blaming the electoral process is often seen as a sign of impending defeat. For instance, before his historic defeat in the Delhi elections, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal lodged complaints with the Election Commission (EC) over EVMs and the voters’ list.

Mamata Banerjee’s sudden attack against the BJP and the EC raises several questions. Is the TMC anxious about the 2026 elections despite winning big in the last three assembly polls? Is it trying to cover up for potential voter list contamination? Has Mamata Banerjee made a blunder that will come back to haunt her?

The BJP has breached one of the “impossible” states, Delhi, and West Bengal could be next. The BJP is already the main opposition in West Bengal, despite violence against its cadre and a significant Muslim population. This may be making the TMC nervous, especially with issues like corruption, law and order, and minority appeasement at play.

The TMC’s allegations about many voters sharing the same Electors Photo Identification Card (EPIC) number do not hold water. The EC clarified that duplication does not imply fake voters. Different states used the same alphanumeric series, so while EPIC numbers may be identical, other details like demographics, assembly constituency, and polling booth are different. An elector can only vote at their designated polling station.

Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek had dismissed similar charges in Maharashtra. The BJP has long accused the TMC of contaminating the voters’ list with illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants. In 2019, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari flagged 17 lakh fake voters before the general election. Now, Adhikari claims there are 72 lakh fake voters pumped in by the TMC.

The BJP’s allegations cannot be brushed aside. The TMC disproportionately benefits from West Bengal’s demographic shift and Islamisation. Its leaders have openly supported illegal immigrants in their speeches and actions.

Kolkata mayor and state urban affairs minister Firhad ‘Bobby’ Hakim went door-to-door to list “genuine voters” after Mamata’s call for sanitising the voter list. In 2016, Hakim referred to a part of Kolkata as “mini-Pakistan.” In 2024, he said, “With Allah’s blessing, we [Muslims] will soon be the majority in India.” TMC leader Ratna Biswas assured illegal Bangladeshis of help to get on the voter list.

Mamata Banerjee herself has welcomed illegal immigrants, stating in 2020, “Bangladeshis who have come here are already Indian citizens. You don’t have to apply for citizenship again.”

All this makes it hard to believe that the TMC will be honest about the voters’ list. Mamata Banerjee may have scored a self-goal by raising this issue. If there is indeed scrutiny of the West Bengal voters’ list, it may weed out a large chunk of her devoted voters. The infiltration issue is so extensive that not just cleaning the voters’ list but an entire NRC exercise may be needed as corrective surgery.