The TMC has been engaged in a balancing act between taking control of the narrative over the SIR and reaching out to the affected voters.
The party has maintained that the Matua community (Scheduled Caste), whose roots are primarily in Bangladesh, has been “most affected” by the SIR exercise across Bengal, mainly in bordering districts. It has also highlighted the SIR’s impact on the state’s minorities as well as the Adivasi groups which are concentrated in its northern and western parts.
A senior TMC leader said, “In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and afterwards, we lost significant chunks of the Matua and Adivasi, especially Rajbanshi, vote banks. That also affected our results in North Bengal, North 24 Parganas, Nadia and western parts of Bengal. In the 2021 Assembly elections, we were able to fight back, but we lost several seats in these belts. In the upcoming Assembly elections, we are now trying to regain those seats.”
He also said, “We have reached out to the Matua community amid the ongoing SIR. Also, we are hopeful to regain the TMC’s footing in North Bengal, where a major influx from Bangladesh had happened.”
The TMC camp estimates that the Matua community forms around 17% of Bengal’s population, which has a sizeable presence in about 30 of the state’s 292 Assembly seats. The Matua community’s own estimate is around 20% population with an influence in 40-45 seats.
On Monday, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to virtually address over 10,000 party leaders and workers from across the state to help mobilise the party cadre at the district level to play a “more active role” during the SIR process.
A senior TMC leader said, “If necessary, to mobilise more people against the SIR, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee will go to districts as well. During the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) movement, Mamata Banerjee was able to gain huge support in a similar manner.”
On Tuesday, Mamata will address a rally in the Matua-dominated Bangaon subdivision before leading a march to Thakurnagar, the community’s key base some 80 km away from Kolkata. Thakurnagar is also home to the powerful Thakur family, whose influence dominates the community’s political choices.
A section of the Matua leadership has already come out against the SIR process. Earlier this month, Mamatabala Thakur, the chairperson of the All India Matua Mahasangh and a TMC Rajya Sabha MP, sat on an indefinite fast with her supporters in Bangaon to protest against the exercise. She ended the hunger strike after 13 days on Abhishek’s request.
The TMC’s internal assessments suggest that while the party has established the SIR help desks at the booth level, it would need to maintain vigilance and consistent voter outreach. The party leadership is going to ask its workers to ensure two critical outcomes – that no eligible voter is left out of the SIR verification process, and that no genuine voter is removed.
Ever since the SIR was announced in late October, the TMC has maintained its hard stance against it. On November 4, the day enumeration forms began to be distributed, the TMC held a rally in Kolkata against the exercise. It has since been vocal, consistently speaking out against the EC and raking up the issue of deaths of some booth level officers (BLOs), which it has sought to link with the increased workloads stemming from the SIR.
On Thursday, the CM wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, urging the EC to halt the SIR immediately. “Kindly intervene decisively to halt the ongoing exercise, stop coercive measures, provide proper training and support, and thoroughly reassess the present methodology and timelines. If this path is not corrected without delay, the consequences – for the system, the officials, and the citizens – will be irreversible. This intervention is not only necessary, but also imperative to protect the integrity of the electoral process and our democratic framework.”
Mamata also targeted West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in her letter, alleging that “Instead of offering support, extending timelines, or addressing systemic flaws, the office of CEO West Bengal has resorted to intimidation. Show-cause notices are being issued without justification. The BLOs, already stretched and distressed, are being threatened with severe disciplinary action simply because the EC refuses to acknowledge the reality on the ground.”
In a post on X on Saturday, Mamata also flagged the case of a BLO who allegedly died by suicide in Nadia district. “Profoundly shocked to know of the death of yet another BLO, a lady para-teacher, who has committed suicide at Krishnanagar… Rinku Tarafdar has blamed the EC in her suicide note… How many more lives will be lost? How many more need to die for this SIR?” she alleged.
The incident followed another alleged suicide of a BLO reported from Jalpaiguri earlier this week, which Mamata had alleged was caused by the “unplanned, relentless workload imposed” by the EC.
