'Rohingyas And Bangladeshis On Voter Lists': BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari Writes To Election Commission For Bengal’s SIR

Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has urged Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to reject all Domicile Certificates issued by the state government on or after 25 July 2025, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, reported The New Indian Express.

In his letter, Adhikari alleged that the West Bengal Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) recently directed District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates in border districts—including North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, Dinajpur, and Cooch Behar—to issue large volumes of Domicile Certificates.

He warned of an obvious and deliberate attempt to weaken the upcoming SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal by allowing "Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants" to register as voters.

Citing official data, Adhikari pointed out a sudden surge in Form-6 applications for new voter registration—approximately 70,000 in one week—against the average 20,000–25,000. He said the spike was most evident in border districts like Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, and both Dinajpurs.

On X, Adhikari wrote, “The integrity of our Democracy must be protected and can't be allowed to get diluted for vested interests of Vote Bank Politics.”

He also reminded District Election Officers that their duty is “to conduct free and fair elections” and protect national interests.

Earlier, Adhikari claimed 17 lakh Rohingyas reside in Bengal—a claim refuted by CM Mamata Banerjee, citing UN data that places the global figure at 10 lakh.

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