Visuals authenticate claims of illegal immigrants enjoying citizen status, availing official benefits in Bengal

New Delhi, Nov 21 Visuals of groups of men, women, and children huddled at West Bengal’s border gates with reports of their intent at crossing “back to Bangladesh” amidst Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s voter list do not augur well for the ruling Trinamool Congress government, a few months before polls.

Amid the reports came Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to the Election Commission to stop the SIR exercise, currently underway in 11 other states and Union Territories. It has drawn a sharp reaction from Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that some political parties are on a mission to shield the infiltrators by opposing the voter verification drive.

Addressing an event in Gujarat on Friday, the Home Minister pointed out that stopping infiltration is not just necessary but also the need of the hour because of the threat it poses to India’s demography and democracy.

For the state unit of West Bengal’s principal Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the issue is a moment for “I told you so”. Reports coming from the border mention not only Bangladeshi, but also alleged Rohingyas from Myanmar – till now settled in India – trying to go back where they came from.

The visuals are already shaping up as a psychological and tactical tool in the run-up to the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. For a long time, the state government and Trinamool leaders have either been refuting or ignoring claims of a massive influx of undocumented migrants from Bangladesh.

Some of them are alleged to be Rohingyas, escaping the ongoing conflict in the northern part of Rakhine State in Myanmar, who reportedly slip into Bangladesh’s Chittagong where some settle, while others continue their trek westwards – towards the India border. These visuals are likely to deepen political polarisation and force the election into a battle of competing narratives.

Till now, the Trinamool enjoyed a brace of advantages in its favour where district-level workers had identified electors from other states with the same identity card numbers and, in a separate issue, successfully playing up Bengali pride and igniting a language controversy.

Earlier this year, Mamata had flagged electors with similar Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers, alleging the BJP’s collusion with the Election Commission in trying to influence the West Bengal Assembly elections using fake voters. Similar allegations had also been made in Maharashtra and Delhi.

The poll body had clarified that some electors may have identical EPIC numbers, but they belonged to different states and thus do not imply duplicate or fake voters.

Also, when visuals surfaced of Bengali-speaking labourers being detained in BJP-ruled states (like Odisha or Delhi) or of panic-stricken villagers queuing for documents, the Trinamool framed these as an attack on Bengali-speakers. This helped Mamata score a point by arguing that BJP leaders, being “outsiders”, cannot distinguish between an Indian Bengali and a Bangladeshi.

She attempted to fracture the Bengali Hindu vote that might otherwise shift to the BJP, appealing to linguistic identity over religious identity. Thus, though technicalities and by playing the Bengali pride card, the Trinamool chief kept the migrant issue down.

Additionally, despite several allegations and some media reports, no authentic proof of the influx or the inclusion of these migrants in the voter list could be established.

Now, media reports contain statements from people among those assembled at the borders that they had cast their mandate in polls and even utilised official benefit packages, including financial doles and health schemes. Many have exhibited their Aadhaar and ration cards in front of cameras.

Leaders like BJP lawmaker from West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya, have repeatedly said undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar settled in the state pose a threat to internal security. He has also claimed that he had even reported it to the state police several times.

On occasions, facing strong opposition from the Trinamool benches in the Rajya Sabha, Bhattacharya said that he can prove such an allegation. Amidst the diatribe, a simple process of electoral list revision has led to the identification of immigrants enjoying citizenship status for years on end.

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