TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee (Photo credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Monday stoked a controversy by challenging Union minister Sukanta Majumdar and Suvendu Adhikari to visit Dankuni without security amid the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal.Banerjee accused Majumdar of threatening Bengal’s electorate and challenged him to visit his constituency.Speaking to the IANS reporters, Banerjee challenged the BJP leaders to come to Dankuni without CISF security, saying they ‘would not be able to return once they arrived’. “Come, Suvendu, come. Come without CISF,” TMC MP is heard saying in the video. Banerjee’s remarks come amid escalating political tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began across nine states, including West Bengal, and three Union Territories. West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are among the states poll bound for the next year.Kalyan Banjerjee has accused the BJP of using the SIR exercise to intimidate voters and push its political agenda.The Trinamool Congress has alleged that the revision of electoral rolls is a “disguised attempt” to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by another name, claiming that it could lead to the deletion of genuine voters at the behest of the BJP. The BJP has maintained its stance that the exercise is aimed at cleaning up voter lists by identifying and removing illegal foreign migrants. “No illegals will be spared,” party leaders have said, accusing the TMC of shielding infiltrators for political gain.The Election Commission, which launched the SIR 2.0 exercise last month, maintained that it will proceed as planned in West Bengal despite opposition from the ruling party. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the revision seeks to ensure that “no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included”.The enumeration process will continue till December 4, followed by the publication of the draft electoral rolls on December 9 and the final rolls on February 7, 2026.The SIR aims to verify voters’ places of birth to weed out illegal migrants, especially in states like West Bengal, which have witnessed a crackdown on undocumented residents from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
