Will SIR turn out to be biggest gift for TMC ahead of ‘tough’ election?

Kolkata: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal may well end up being the biggest pre-election gift for Trinamool Congress, which is otherwise facing a poll this time that is not going to be a cakewalk, even according to party seniors. This is especially interesting because roll revision exercise in other states has been seen as a move that strengthened BJP's poll charge.

In this backdrop, Trinamool chief and CM Mamata Banerjee's appearance in the Supreme Court on Wednesday might prove to be a booster shot for the TMC campaign, which has focused relentlessly on SIR-linked harassments and deaths. Party seniors say they have specific plans on how to use the footage of the CM's apex court appearance.


Political analysts say the party's aggressive legal push, coupled with sustained public outreach, has reshaped the narrative around SIR. "By bringing human and constitutional dimensions of SIR in focus, Banerjee shifted the debate away from technical details to questions of voter rights ," said Udayan Bandopadhyay, a political science professor at Kolkata's Bangabasi College.

"In politics, the party that moves first on an issue usually gains an advantage, and that clearly happened here," Bandopadhyay added. "BJP, on the other hand, made repeated public statements suggesting that names of several lakh voters would be deleted — a claim that runs contrary to the core objective of any electoral revision, allowing TMC to turn the issue."

SIR also effectively kickstarted TMC's poll campaign well ahead of its rivals. Leveraging its strong organisational network, the party activated BLAs and asked workers to conduct door-to-door visits, an exercise that is nothing less than a voter outreach programme, and project itself as a facilitator for citizens navigating what it described as a confusing process.

"Usually, we begin our full-fledged campaign two months before the elections," said a TMC worker from Behala. "This time, the mobilisation started much earlier. Meetings were organised from the end of Oct and we were constantly on alert. During SIR, we also managed to compile a complete digital voter database."

Voters also agreed that SIR had overshadowed all other issues this election. "Till last year, TMC was rattled with issues like the RG Kar doctor death and the job scam. But once SIR came in, all issues took a back seat," said Pulak Ganguly, a septuagenarian Salt Lake resident, who said he took help from a local TMC worker during SIR form fill-up and hearing process.

Meanwhile, senior state minister Shashi Panja hailed the CM's appearance at the Supreme Court. "This was historic — the people's CM took on the Election Commission of India in the highest court of the land," Panja told the media on Wednesday and said the legal push had struck a chord across the state, with the CM "fighting for the rights of Bengal's voters". "Only TMC could have done this. This is a slap on the face of BJP, which hatched a nefarious conspiracy to exclude people in the name of SIR."

Education minister Bratya Basu posted on X: "Bengal saw the supreme valour of her daughter, standing up before the Hon'ble Supreme Court in an unprecedented and historic fight for the electoral rights of her citizens. Salute to our CM Mamata Banerjee for her courage, commitment and compassion for the people of Bengal!"

Analysts pointed out that legal confrontations have often been a defining feature of Banerjee's political trajectory. Time and again, moments of intense legal and constitutional battles have helped her reassert herself politically, most notably during the Singur movement. "Opponents have written her off many a times," said a TMC senior.