Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will hold rallies in Malda and Murshidabad this week to express her anger against the Election Commission’s SIR process, followed by a public meeting in Cooch Behar next week. TMC sources said this will be the second phase of Mamata Banerjee’s campaign against the SIR. She previously held a rally in Bongaon, a refugee-dominated Matua region, last week, alleging that the SIR was being misused to intimidate families living in border areas.
The TMC is presenting its district-wise campaign as a response to the BJP’s statement of eliminating infiltrators. TMC leaders said that rallies have been decided to be held in Malda and Murshidabad on December 3 and 4, and in Cooch Behar on December 9. These three politically sensitive border districts have a large minority, migrant, and displaced population, and the SIR has exacerbated their problems. The Malda rally will be held in Gajole, while the Murshidabad rally will be held at the Behrampur Stadium. According to media reports, the Cooch Behar rally will be held on December 9th at the historic Ras Mela grounds and is being billed as Mamata Banerjee’s largest rally in North India this winter.
The BJP has accused the TMC of protecting illegal immigrants and opposing the voter list revision for political gain. Both parties are trying to leverage the SIR issue to bolster their respective ideologies ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
