Mamata looks to up SIR ante for bigger national footprint

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking to escalate her confrontation with the Election Commission of India (EC) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, turning the state-level controversy into a broader national political campaign.

Positioning herself as a rallying point for non-BJP and non-NDA parties, Mamata has accused the EC of conducting what she calls an “unfair and poorly planned” exercise that threatens democratic rights and federal principles.

“If allowed to continue in its present form, the SIR will cause irreparable damage, mass disenfranchisement of voters and assault democratic foundations,” she wrote in one of her letters to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

TMC team to meet EC officials

Mamata is expected to travel to New Delhi next Monday (February 2) after the EC granted permission to a 15-member TMC delegation to meet officials at Nirvachan Sadan around 4 pm on that day.

According to party sources, the EC conveyed this decision to the chief minister in writing on Wednesday (January 28).

Also read: SIR in West Bengal: Mamata claims 100 deaths, three to four daily suicides

The delegation is likely to include TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, several members of parliament, and family members of those who died allegedly due to anxiety and distress linked to the SIR process.

Party leaders also claim that some people who are alive but have been recorded as “dead” in electoral records may be a part of the delegation as well, highlighting what they describe as serious flaws in the revision exercise.

Delayed trip

Mamata is also expected to meet CEC Gyanesh Kumar during her visit to directly raise the issues with him.

The chief minister had earlier planned to travel to Delhi on Wednesday (January 28) to spearhead protests at the national level, but postponed the visit following the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in an air accident, as well as a major fire in Kolkata on Sunday.

Speaking at a public meeting in Singur, she said she would go to Delhi “within a day or two,” a plan that gained momentum after the EC allotted time to her party.

Also read: Army seeks Bengal Governor’s intervention over Mamata’s Fort William and SIR claim

The SIR process began in West Bengal on November 4. Since then, several deaths have been reported, with families blaming what they describe as “SIR-related panic”.

TMC’s opposition

From the outset, the TMC has opposed the exercise, arguing that it was launched hastily and without adequate preparation.

The party claims ordinary citizens are being harassed and fears the exercise could be used to selectively delete voters’ names.

Mamata and Abhishek have jointly led street protests in Kolkata, accusing the poll panel of acting in collusion with the BJP-led central government, an allegation the commission has vehemently denied.

Her Delhi visit comes at a time of heightened tension between the state government and the EC.

Also read: Mamata Banerjee urges CJI to protect Constitution, democracy amid I-PAC raid row

Mamata has written multiple letters to CEC Gyanesh Kumar detailing alleged irregularities, but party sources say none have received a response.

She has repeatedly warned that if even a single legitimate voter is disenfranchised, her party would intensify protests.

Earlier, Abhishek led a TMC delegation to Delhi and met Kumar, after which the party sharpened its tirade again the SIR. He also threatened a bigger demonstration in the national capital over the issue.

Building political unity

Meanwhile, Mamata is also working to build broader political unity around the issue.

On Tuesday, she met Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in Kolkata.

Akhilesh described her as a pivotal leader capable of countering the BJP’s national agenda, reinforcing her growing role as a figure seeking to unite regional parties against the ruling alliance.

During her stay in Delhi, Mamata is expected to hold meetings with several non-NDA leaders, framing the SIR controversy as a larger challenge to electoral fairness, democratic safeguards and the federal structure.

Also read: 54 lakh voter names deleted in Bengal SIR, 84 dead, alleges Mamata Banerjee

Political observers say the visit could mark a significant moment, not only in the standoff between West Bengal and the EC, but also in Mamata’s efforts to project herself as a national opposition leader ahead of future electoral battles.

“If in the entire country, someone is effectively countering the BJP, it is Mamata didi. And the BJP can only be truly opposed by the way she is doing it,” said Akhilesh after meeting her, underscoring her emerging role in national opposition politics.