'Will fight till end': Mamata Banerjee steps up attack on Centre as EC prepares to publish updated voter list

As the Election Commission prepares to publish the first supplementary voter list in West Bengal on March 23, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing it of attempting to undermine citizens’ voting rights.

The list, expected to include voters whose applications were previously marked “under adjudication”, was originally scheduled for release on March 19 but was postponed at the last moment as the process was not yet complete. The EC had earlier published the final electoral roll on February 28 as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

An EC official told PTI that preparations are underway to display the updated voter list at nearly 80,000 polling booths across the state once it is finalised by Monday.

Speaking at the annual Eid congregation at Kolkata’s Red Road on Saturday, Banerjee reiterated that the SIR is part of a broader attempt to influence the electoral process in West Bengal. She has repeatedly alleged that the exercise has resulted in large-scale deletions of voter names, particularly in minority-dominated areas.

“We will not allow Modi ji and the BJP to take away your voting rights. We will fight till the end to protect democracy and the rights of every citizen,” she said. “Those who are targeting Bengal and trying to divide people should go to hell.”

Highlighting West Bengal’s long-standing tradition of communal harmony, Banerjee asserted that the people of the state would resist any attempt to disrupt its social fabric.

The state is scheduled to vote in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting on May 4. While the Trinamool Congress seeks a fourth consecutive term, the BJP aims to consolidate the gains it made in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly elections.