In West Bengal, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll has sparked both anxiety and support. While some voters panic and report suicides, the Rajbangshi community—West Bengal’s largest Scheduled Caste group—welcomes the move, saying it will weed out “outsiders” who they claim are squatting on their land.
The Rajbangshi number more than 1.8 million across Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Malda and Murshidabad. “We back the SIR process. It will expose bogus voters, dead names and people who have moved away,” said Bangshibadan Barman, a leader in the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association (GCPA). Barman also supported the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Cooch Behar and urged his followers to back Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming the TMC has benefited the Rajbangshi.
Though Barman’s faction sits alongside TMC’s strong opposition to the SIR, the community’s main grievance remains the fear that “outsiders” are taking over their land. The GCPA has long campaigned for a separate state that would include Rajbangshi‑majority districts in North Bengal and parts of Assam. Barman’s group is the most visible voice calling for statehood and enjoys broad local support.
Political parties are actively courting the Rajbangshi. In 2019, the opposition BJP swept the region, winning the Cooch Behar parliamentary seat and sending former MP Nisith Pramanik to the Union cabinet. However, concerns over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) – which Rajbangshi leaders say could let illegal squatters gain legal status – shifted loyalties. In 2024, TMC’s Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia topped the polls, beating Pramanik by over 39,000 votes. Among the seven assembly segments in Cooch Behar, TMC carried four, up from just two in 2021.
In other North Bengal seats where the Rajbangshi have influence, the BJP won but by smaller margins – Alipurduars, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling saw the saffron party succeed, while in Raiganj it increased its lead over the nearest TMC candidate by more than 7,600 votes.
Even the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Nagendra Ray, who heads another GCPA faction, echoed the call for SIR. “We welcome SIR; it will pick out fake voters and intruders,” Ray said. He, too, supports the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to spot illegal squatters but opposes the CAA.
The SIR rollout in West Bengal reflects deep community worries about electoral integrity, land rights, and the broader national debate over citizenship and identity. As the state moves forward, the Rajbangshi’s voice remains central to the conversation.
Source: ianslive
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
