The BJP has stepped up its campaign with its ‘Parivartan Yatra’ or rally for change across West Bengal, which began on Sunday with four yatras. The launch came a day after the final list of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was released, with around 60 lakh names under adjudication, and nearly 5 lakh deletions were processed through Form 7.
Before the SIR exercise began, West Bengal had an electorate of 7.6 crore, which has come down to 7.04 crore in the final list. The finale of the yatra will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the rally on Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata in mid-March.
Saffron party leaders have linked the SIR exercise to keeping 'infiltrators' out of the voter list, which they allege is the Trinamool Congress(TMC) vote bank. The BJP, however, was clear to address Hindu migrants in a different tone, saying that no one will be removed from the state. The party also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which it says would provide legal status to migrants.
During the Parivartan Yatras on Monday from various districts by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the message was clear: the call for change in West Bengal goes beyond removing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after three consecutive terms. It is about transforming the state’s governance environment, which includes development and welfare for the people.
“This yatra is to initiate parivartan in Bengal. Mamata didi, parivartan does not mean just changing the Chief Minister, that will happen, but it is freeing Bengal from infiltrators. Parivartan means freeing Bengal from corruption,” Amit Shah said at a rally in Mathurapur in South 24 Parganas district. He also spoke about ending dynasty politics, referring to Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, as the potential next Chief Minister of the state.
“Bengal is a land where laws are broken. BJP government will come in, and within one month those who broke the law will be behind bars," said Rajnath Singh in Amta in Howrah district.
Singh also questioned the Chief Minister’s commitment to the poor and in eradicating poverty. “Who is your Mamata for? Why is there no Mamata for the poor? Fifteen years of rule and poverty has not been eradicated. Why do women not feel safe? Is your Mamata for those doing wrong?” Singh said, while bringing up the 2024 Sandeshkhali case involving allegations of land grabbing linked to TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan.
Amit Shah also referred to the 2024 RG Kar hospital case, in which an on-duty trainee doctor was raped and murdered. “RG Kar or Sandeshkhali, she (Mamata) has insulted women and failed to provide security to them,” he said.
The BJP further promised to implement the 7th Pay Commission for state government employees within 45 days of coming to power in West Bengal, signalling confidence about forming a new government after the Bengali New Year in mid-April.
The corruption allegations surfaced on a day when suspended TMC Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and his close associate Arpita Mukherjee were summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for further questioning in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) and primary teachers’ recruitment scams.
The two were arrested in July 2022 and released on bail in 2025 after approximately Rs 50 crore in cash was recovered from Mukherjee’s flat. They were granted bail in 2025. While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been probing Chatterjee’s role, the ED is expected to question both accused again later this month as investigations continue.
