Exuding confidence ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday declared that her party would return to power, even as she raised serious concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list process and announced plans to seek judicial intervention once again.
Emerging from the Survey Building in Alipore after filing her nomination papers from Bhabanipur, Mamata addressed supporters, stating that she was contesting the election “with a heavy heart” due to the large-scale exclusion of names from the voter list.
“I am contesting with a heavy heart because so many people’s names have been excluded,” she said. “Out of a total of 1.20 crore names, 32 lakh were included—largely due to my legal intervention. However, 58 lakh cases were not even opened for review.”
She acknowledged that some exclusions were inevitable, such as those involving duplicate or deceased voters, but emphasised that a significant number of genuine voters remained affected.
“Among the remaining 27 lakh names under adjudication, I firmly believe they should be granted their voting rights,” she added.
Mamata also questioned the rationale behind freezing the voter list ahead of the first phase of polling.
“What is the point of adding names later if those individuals cannot cast their votes?” she asked, referring to the Election Commission’s decision to finalise—or “freeze”—the voter list at midnight on April 6.
The Chief Minister cited earlier observations of the Supreme Court of India, noting that cases under adjudication had been considered genuine and were to be referred to tribunals for resolution. “In light of this, I do not understand the logic behind freezing the list. We will once again seek judicial redress,” she asserted.
According to officials, the final voter list published on February 28 had already excluded 63.63 lakh names. Of the 60.06 lakh names initially kept under consideration, more than 27 lakh have since been excluded following verification. Sources indicate that judicial officers reviewed over 60 lakh cases statewide, deeming approximately 32.68 lakh individuals eligible while rejecting around 27.16 lakh as ineligible.
The freezing of the electoral roll means that even if tribunals later approve certain names, those individuals will not be able to vote in the first phase of the election—a point confirmed by Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal.
Despite the controversy, Mamata struck a confident note regarding the electoral outcome. “I live here 365 days a year. My faith, my work, my identity, and my political struggles—all revolve around Bhabanipur,” she said, expressing gratitude to constituents.
Appealing for broader support, she urged voters to back her party’s candidates across the state.
“Alongside Bhabanipur, I request you to vote for the ‘Jora Phool’ candidates in all 294 constituencies. We ourselves will form the government,” she declared.
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