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From Corruption To Citizenship: How TMC & BJP Fought The SIR-Changed Bengal Polls

TOI.in / Apr 23, 2026, 21.00 PM IST

West Bengal’s 2026 election has taken a dramatic turn. What was expected to be a battle over corruption, jobs, and anti-incumbency has now transformed into a high-stakes debate on identity, citizenship, and voter rights. With over 91 lakh names deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), nearly 12% of the electorate has been impacted, reshaping not just the numbers but the emotional core of the campaign. Words like “deleted voter”, “infiltrator”, and “citizenship” now dominate the political discourse. As the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party lock horns, the key question is no longer about governance.

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