KOLKATA: A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) published the post–Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral rolls in West Bengal on Saturday, BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Sunday claimed that more than 50 lakh “infiltrators” had been removed from the state’s voters’ list. He also asserted that the “time is up for illegal immigrants” in Bengal.
Flagging off the party’s ‘Paribartan Yatra’ ahead of the Assembly polls, barely 45 to 50 days away, Nabin addressed a rally in Cooch Behar district in north Bengal, a traditional stronghold of the saffron camp that has witnessed significant growth since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when the BJP won 19 of the 42 seats in the state.
The ‘Paribartan Yatra’ will culminate in a mega rally on March 15 at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting, intensifying the party’s campaign for the 2026 Bengal battle. Union Home Minister Amit Shah may also attend the concluding programme, according to Bengal BJP sources.
Apart from Cooch Behar, the ‘Paribartan Yatra’ was also launched on Sunday from three other locations - Garbeta in West Midnapore district, Kulti in Asansol, and Krishnanagar in Nadia.
Senior leaders, including Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare Annapurna Devi, and Union Health Minister and former BJP national president J P Nadda, attended the programmes.
The BJP national president alleged that those removed from the electoral rolls were “infiltrators” who had been availing government jobs and benefits meant for genuine citizens.
“More than 50 lakh infiltrators have been removed from the voter list. These infiltrators were not only violating the rights of legitimate citizens but also jeopardising the security of the country,” he alleged.
With the publication of the final electoral rolls, names of 63.66 lakh voters, including more than 58 lakh absentees, shifted, dead and duplicate (ASDD) electors identified during the first phase of the SIR exercise, and another five lakh after the completion of SIR hearings, have been deleted from the final list in the state.
He further alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been protecting infiltrators by helping them arrange fake documents.
“Mamata Banerjee rushed to the courts to protect infiltrators in the voter rolls because they are her party’s vote bank. But when women face humiliation, you choose to look the other way,” he said.
Sharpening his attack on the Trinamool Congress government, he added, “The time has now come to drive the infiltrators out from the soil of Bengal. We must not only drive them out but also establish a decisive government that can usher in development in West Bengal."
“Bengal is looking for a change. People want a real ‘Pariborton,’ as the Trinamool Congress government is corrupt,” he said.
