Mamata Banerjee in Cooch Behar: The fear driving Trinamool’s SIR offensive in West Bengal

Mamta Banerjee

With an eye on consolidating the minority vote in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections in 2026, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited Cooch Behar district that accounts for a sizable Muslim population. The visit, while in line with the ruling Trinamool Congress’ larger opposition to the voter revision exercise as part of the SIR, has a strategic calculation behind it.

Muslim voters, seen loyal to the Trinamool, account for as much as 30 percent of the electorate in West Bengal. However, the 2021 elections saw the BJP win five of seven Assembly segments in Cooch Behar where Muslims form over a fourth of the electorate.

The outcome in Cooch Behar and the sword of the SIR exercise has forced Mamata to secure these seats that account for a sizable Muslim population. “She wants to give out a message to the people residing in these areas that the West Bengal government is by their side. If anything happens to them, the ruling party will support their voting right and will try to convince the party members to come together,” political analyst Udayan Banhyopadhyay told The Week.

Cooch Behar is situated on India's porous border with Bangladesh and faces ongoing challenges with illegal infiltration. Banerjee has claimed that had her government blocked the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre would have imposed President’s Rule in West Bengal.

With the BJP upping its ante against infiltrators, the Trinamool has a tough battle ahead to combat the BJP’s domination in Cooch Behar and regain the confidence of voters. The Muslim minority vote bank is her strongest bet, and hence, Mamata is trying to keep the Muslim voters by her side with the anti-SIR rally.

The CM is looking beyond Kolkata and reaching out to people in districts bordering Bangladesh, including North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Malda and Coochbehar to raise the anti-SIR pitch.

West Bengal has seen a 66 per cent increase in the number of registered voters between 2002 and 2025, according to Election Commission of India (ECI). The SIR exercise showed that the number of voters in 23 years has grown from 4.58 crore to 7.63 crore. When the review of the electoral roll was last done in 2002, Bengal had 18 districts. Now, it has 23.

According to a report in The Indian Express, out of the top ten districts with the highest increase in the number of voters, nine border Bangladesh. The BJP claimed that the SIR exercise is a proof of its “Muslim infiltrators” claim. However, according to the Trinamool, it indicates the inflow from across the border of Hindu refugees escaping persecution.

In 2021, the Trinamool secured 48 per cent votes and won 215 seats. The BJP won 77 seats with 38 per cent vote share. However, by 2024, the BJP won 12 Lok Sabha seats and increased its vote share to 38.7 per cent.

The BJP has been claiming That Trinamool has been resisting the SIR of electoral rolls to thwart the purging of names of alleged illegal migrants from the voters' list, knowing such a move would severely weaken its prospects in elections.

“Bihar went to the polls after an SIR of the electoral rolls, and the results speak for themselves. Now it is Bengal’s turn. Once a clean voter list is prepared through the SIR, removing fake voters, the BJP will achieve a similar sweep in Bengal,” said BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

However, Trinamool rejected the claim. Party spokesperson Arup Chakraborty told The Indian Express that the sharp rise in voters is due to Hindu refugees who have come from Bangladesh and settled in the border districts.

“The Hindu population in Bangladesh dropped from 23% (in 1951) to 8% (in 2022). They have not gone to China. Apart from small sections going to Assam and Tripura, the majority have come to West Bengal,” he told IE

Rejecting BJP’s Muslim infiltration narrative, Arup said, “Such people have settled in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Bangaon, where the BJP has won with their votes… In Malda and Murshidabad, there is a sizable Muslim population, and we have won seats. However, our Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, does not believe in such religious divisions and is demanding protection for all.”