I will win from Bhowanipore, even if by 1 vote, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that despite large-scale deletion of names from the electoral roll of her Bhowanipore assembly seat, she would win from there, "even if by one vote".

"In my constituency, 60,000 names have been deleted. In the seats won by Trinamool, between 10,000 and 30,000 names have been removed. Despite that, I will win from Bhowanipore, even if by only one vote. I believe this because I have people's trust," said Banerjee, who has held three meetings with booth-level agents (BLAs) in her constituency over the past month.


The CM has contested from the south Kolkata seat in all assembly polls since 2011, except the 2021 elections that saw her shift to Nandigram. She lost the 2021 fight to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari by 1,956 votes — a result that is under challenge at Calcutta HC — and returned to Bhowanipore months later to successfully contest a bypoll.

Banerjee alleged the deletions were carried out "deliberately by BJP and EC" during the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll to influence the outcome of the upcoming assembly elections. "Our Bhowanipore is a small constituency with only 2.6 lakh voters. Previously, 44,000 names were excluded, and this time, citing logistical discrepancies, you have deleted 14,000 and then an additional 2,000. How many voters are left?" asked the CM.

"I'm shocked. They are acting inhumanely and vindictively... They have deliberately tarnished my name. I have faith in God, faith in the Mother, and faith in Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists," she said while addressing a gathering at Netaji Indoor Stadium on the occasion of Dol and Holi, and also the inauguration of a link of Kalyani Expressway.

The draft electoral roll published on Dec 16 listed 1,61,525 voters for Bhowanipore. In the final roll published on Feb 28, there were 1,59,201 voters. Election Commission officials said 2,324 names that figured on the draft roll were excluded from the final list, while 18 names were added. Another 14,000 names on the final list are under adjudication — their papers are being examined by judicial officers.

The draft roll for Bhowanipore that was published in Dec had 44,000 fewer names — absentee, shifted, dead/duplicate (ASD) voters — compared with the voters' list published earlier in 2025.

The CM said she had tried everything to protect the rights of the people. "We have informed everyone, from Supreme Court to EC. From those whose family members died to everyone else, we cooperated and we endured. We kept our patience. But today I'm telling you: those who don't let genuine voters vote — EC is trying to conduct its own elections before the (assembly) polls — electors of Bengal are ready to give the required response. Every genuine elector has the moral right to be a voter. But this biased govt and the EC want to erase people from the voters' list with the help of ‘Vanish Kumar'," Banerjee said, referring to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The CM will hold a dharna at Esplanade on March 6 to protest the "forced deletion" of voters' names. "Give me your moral support. As long as I'm alive, I'll fight for the people... I trust my people. You don't trust people, you trust agencies. That's why you try to take away people's rights," she said. Banerjee claimed that the attempt to disenfranchise people was a move by a "biased Government of India and a biased ECI." "'Vanish Kumar' wants to vanish the votes. …I'm shocked. It's an inhumane and vindictive attitude. They are cowards who can't fight democratically. They're using biased agencies. I condemn this," claimed the Chief Minister.

The CM said 1.2 crore people in Bengal were on the verge of losing their voting right. Dismissing claims that EROs and BLOs are to blame for such large-scale deletion of names, Banerjee said instructions came directly from Delhi.

"BLO deaths were reported today and yesterday. Whose fault is this? There is one man here who harasses everyone and he shifted the blame to BLOs and EROs. These officials work very hard. It is your micro-observers, brought from your Delhi offices, who have cut these names," she said.

Taking a dig at BJP's rath yatra, Banerjee said, "They are holding a rath yatra here. This is going to be your last yatra — their ‘Vinash Yatra' (journey of destruction)."

At the programme, the CM handed over appointment letters to 61 people whose family members lost their lives allegedly due to the SIR pressure. Those people have been recruited as civic volunteers.

Banerjee announced the state has earmarked five acres in New Town, near the Biswa Bangla Gate, for the construction of a Jain temple. She urged the community to form a trust for the temple and assured them that the land would be handed over at a concessional rate. A person died yesterday after finding his name in the 'under-adjudication' category. That person had submitted his passport and other certificates. His family has always voted. It has been observed that in some families, the wife's name is deleted while the husband's name remains on the voters' list. Do you know why? Women move to their husbands' homes, and that's why their names are being deleted. Do you think this should be a criterion for voting rights?" added the CM.

The CM said that even if a single family member is paralyzed or affected, the entire family suffers. "Those whose names are on the list will not realize it. But if your neighbor's name is missing, you should feel the pain too. Today it is your neighbor; tomorrow it could be your turn. I am requesting you all to think of this and think of everyone's well-being. We do not discriminate; we do not divide. We will not bow down to any negative energy," said the CM.