West Bengal is preparing to have the Assembly Elections in 2026 and a political hurricane has already hit. The Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, who has turned into the firebrand Mamata Banerjee.

 

Author: Akshita Jain | EQMint | Political News

 

Why Has Mamata Banerjee Taken the Fight to the BJP?

She has even gone as far as Delhi with her fight against the BJP and the Election Commission (EC), making the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls her crown jewel in an election battle that is highly competitive.

 

The stakes in this political drama are high, and the subject matter is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) – a nationwide exercise to clean up the voter roll, which, according to Mamata, is being used by the  BJP to dilute and disenfranchise the legitimate Bengali voters.

 

But is this just another election tactic — or the TMC’s key weapon to expose the BJP?

 

The strategy of Mamata appears to be based on the following question: Does the BJP attempt to use the electoral rolls to its advantage and thereby defraud the democratic choice in Bengal?

 

She certainly thinks so. The TMC has leveled unfair practices against the Election Commission, which include marking eligible voters as dead, the application of BJP mobile apps, and obstacles to the elderly or the infirm attending hearings.

 

What Does Mamata Claim About SIR?

Mamata Banerjee has castigated the BJP on numerous occasions as having employed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to tilt the field:

 

• She claims that the deserving voters, particularly those in the minority community, are being unjustly locked out of the final electoral list, which she describes as unconstitutional and politically inclined.

• They (the BJP) are well aware of the defeat in Bengal. This is why they are employing SIR, which is why Mamata did just that and went to her meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner.

• She even petitioned the Supreme Court, and she is organizing a high-profile delegation to meet the top EC officials in Delhi to drive her point home.

But is it a battle of electoral justice – or is it the battle of political aggrandizement at its worst?

 

Is Mamata Redefining the Narrative?

By turning SIR into the center stage of her campaign, Mamata is making the election not only a battle over power, but it is also a battle over the right to democracy.

 

This change is interesting; it has the following questions:

 

• Will the revision of the electoral roll on this basis really rewrite the fate of a whole state election?
• Is SIR a cry of rallying Mamata to her voter base, in particular, in the Muslim majority and minority sensitive districts?
• Or has the TMC been playing an overcard that might backfire on them in the event of a shift in the public perception?

Her style has been a mix of street politics, protests, court battles, and holding public rallies – a position of defending dignity and voting rights.

 

Delhi: Where Bengal’s Political War Turns National

Mamata, in her theatrical visit to Delhi, had directed a team of hers to the head office of the Election Commission, wearing black, and wanted explanations and was very displeased.

 

She has also raised more general charges on top of the SIR scuffle, saying that the BJP is politically using the national agencies to affect the Bengal polls.

 

Her hardline rhetoric has also been characterized by scalding rhetoric – indicating that this is not only a regional issue, but a nationwide fight.

 

Is This Strategy Resonating With Voters?

The emphasis of the TMC on SIR enables the latter to:

• Support minority voting rights attacks.

• Make oneself the bastion against perceived central overreach.

• Distract the issues of governance experienced by the state government.

However, it is unclear whether this story can be translated into political victories.

 

The BJP leaders keep aggressively reprimanding Mamata by accusing her of political opportunism as well as blaming her for creating unrest.

 

As the temperatures rise, the two parties establish themselves, and the political life of Bengal has never been a more polarized or unpredictable one.

 

Mamata vs. BJP: Who wins the narrative war?

With the poll rounds approaching, the SIR controversy has turned into more than a mere bureaucratic excerise but it has become a badge of democratic struggle in West Bengal as well as political identity. The real question remains:

 

• Will the SIR debate make Mamata supporters vigorous and win another term for TMC?

• Or will it turn into a parting flash point that works against it politically?

It will be decided by the voters of Bengal only in 2026.

 

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Resource Link : TheIndianExpress