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For TMC, chief minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Matua heartland Thakurnagar on November 25, while Abhishek Banerjee will chair a massive virtual meeting the previous day
TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee and CM Mamata Banerjee are leading the party’s efforts to woo Matua voters. File image/PTI
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is dramatically escalating its response to the politically volatile Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls, with the top leadership engaging directly with the influential Matua community to assuage fears of disenfranchisement.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to lead this major political push on November 25 with a high-profile visit to Thakurnagar, the symbolic and political nerve centre of the Matua community. The visit, which will include a meeting and a large public rally, is timed to counteract growing confusion and anxiety among Matua voters regarding the implications of the Election Commission’s SIR verification exercise ahead of the assembly elections early next year. With the community wielding influence in over 50 assembly seats, the TMC is aggressively working to prevent any electoral shift towards the BJP, which has been actively courting this demographic.
Party Mobilisation and Internal Review
A day earlier, on November 24, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will chair a massive high-level virtual meeting, connecting with more than 10,000 party functionaries, including district presidents, block officials, and booth-level coordinators. This session is designed for a comprehensive review of the SIR implementation across districts.
Internal assessments suggest that while SIR help desks have been established at every booth, issues of vigilance and consistent voter outreach require immediate attention. The leadership is expected to issue strict instructions to ensure two critical outcomes: that no eligible voter is left out of the verification process, and conversely, that no genuine voter is wrongfully removed.
The Political Flashpoint: SIR and the Matuas
The SIR exercise is an administrative procedure introduced by the EC to cross-verify voter lists and residency records, ostensibly to identify illegally residing foreign nationals. However, the opposition BJP has seized upon the exercise, framing it as a highly sensitive political move designed to impact voter demographics.
BJP leaders claim that a significant portion of TMC’s voter base consists of “illegal migrants,” arguing that these individuals will be removed under any fair verification process. The TMC has rejected the allegation, calling it a politically motivated attempt to polarise voters.
The confusion is most acute in Matua-dominated belts and North Bengal, where the community, many of whom are long-term residents and refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), fear being excluded due to a lack of older documentation. The TMC leadership believes this confusion provides a window for renewed engagement and correction of what it terms “misinformation”.
Meanwhile, the BJP has countered the TMC’s outreach by alleging that the ruling party is attempting to protect a large segment of its voter base consisting of “illegal migrants”. The political tension reached a peculiar peak following an earthquake on Friday.
BJP posted on X, “West Bengal just felt earthquake tremors. @MamataOfficial, was it because of SIR?”
TMC too took to the site. “It’s actually the ground shaking beneath the feet of @BJP4Bengal as they stare at an imminent defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections. And don’t worry, the Delhi Zamindars won’t miss it either; the shockwaves will reach them too,” it posted.
With the SIR process continuing, both parties are intensifying ground efforts, ensuring the exercise remains the central flashpoint in the run-up to the next electoral cycle.
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting from East…Read More
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting from East… Read More
November 21, 2025, 17:10 IST
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