West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a mega protest rally in Kolkata on November 4 against the Election Commission's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state. (Photo: @AITCofficial/X via PTI Photo)
Mamata, Abhishek to protest electoral roll revision in Kolkata on Nov 4
Meanwhile, BLOs undergoing EC training objected to security arrangements during the sessions, and sought formal recognition of their duty status and papers
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold a mega rally on Tuesday (November 4) in Kolkata to protest the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which will be initiated in the state the same day.
Banerjee, who is also the chief of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), will be accompanied by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is the party’s national general secretary and its second in command, besides being an MP.
The march will kick off near the statue of BR Ambedkar at the Maidan area in the heart of the capital city and conclude near the residence of Rabindranath Tagore at Jorasanko in North Kolkata.
Also read: Inside TMC’s SIR vigilance plan: War rooms, data teams, 24/7 ‘shadow agents’
The TMC revealed the protest plan in a post on X, where it said, “The so-called Special Intensive Revision is actually Silent Invisible Rigging. We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that all eligible voters are included and not left behind in this process. For our people, we will give our all!”
Gear up for a MAHA-MICHHIL!
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) November 1, 2025
Our Hon'ble Chairperson Smt @MamataOfficial and our Hon'ble National General Secretary Shri @abhishekaitc will hit the streets on 4th November 2025, FIGHTING once again for the RIGHTS OF PEOPLE.
The so-called Special Intensive Revision is actually… pic.twitter.com/I2diCb0KQY
The state’s ruling party has been repeatedly targeting the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre since the exercise was first carried out in Bihar, which will go to polls this month.
The instances of three persons in the state allegedly committing suicide, fearing their names would be removed from the voter’s list following the SIR, have also seen the TMC sharpening attacks.
The Election Commission (EC) revealed on October 27 its plan to begin the second phase of the controversial revision process in 12 states and Union Territories, including poll-bound Bengal, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry.
Also read: Why parties in Bengal and UP are revolting over SIR 2.0 | Capital Beat
The exercise is set to begin on Tuesday and continue till December 4. The draft electoral rolls are set to be released on December 9, and the final rolls are to be released on February 7.
BLOs protest, want more security
On Saturday (November 1), the poll commission started a training programme for more than 80,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) in Bengal for the revision of the electoral rolls, even as a section of the participants sought tighter security and transparency while they discharge their duties.
They objected to the administrative and security arrangements during the sessions, demanding formal recognition of their duty status, proper documentation, and additional security measures.
Also read: Why Tamil Nadu, Kerala are crying foul over SIR 2.0 | Talking Sense With Srini
Teachers deputed as BLOs protested the decision of school authorities to mark them as absent in attendance registers during the training period.
They said their participation in the BLO assignment would be officially recorded as “on duty”. In addition, a large section of BLOs has demanded central security cover for both training and fieldwork, warning that they will abstain from duty unless safety measures are strengthened.
At Kolkata’s Nazrul Mancha, participants alleged that the EC failed to issue any valid proof of attendance or training documentation that could be presented at their respective departments.
Also read: SIR 2.0 sparks nationwide row: Opposition cries foul, BJP calls it clean-up drive
Similar protests were reported from the sub-divisional office in Durgapur in Paschim Bardhaman district, where the BLOs jointly demonstrated their grievances.
“The form we were given today does not mention any official reference to the BLO training. We cannot present this at our schools as proof of attendance. Earlier, proper documentation was provided. We demand similar certification for today as well,” a teacher said.
“We are willing to work, but the Commission must provide us with proper documentation and security. Without these, we cannot continue,” another participant added.
Also read: Why rollout of SIR has made Gujarat's Muslims and tribals anxious
Some participants claimed that while earlier sessions included proper certification, the forms distributed on Saturday lacked official mention of the training.
One teacher said, “Without an official certificate, we cannot prove in our schools that we were attending BLO training.”
Also read: SIR a ‘backdoor implementation of NRC’, warns Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Sources at the commission said central security deployment will not be provided during the training period.
The boy also said it is the state administration that will be responsible for ensuring security, and also rejected the proposal to appoint two BLOs in larger booths.
On Friday (October 31), the commission held training programmes of over 3,000 election registration officers (EROs), assistant EROs, and district election officers (DEOs) across the state.
The DEOs have been instructed to organise and complete the training of BLAs by November 3, with the start of the house-to-house enumeration the next day.
(With Agency inputs)