Reports suggest that domestic helpers, believed to be illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, are fleeing parts of West Bengal following the announcement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. This sudden exodus has been observed in various localities, raising concerns about the implications of the voter list update.
Amit Malviya, the BJP’s IT Cell Chief and West Bengal observer, highlighted these disappearances on social media. He stated that numerous domestic workers in areas like Birati and Bisharpara in North 24 Parganas district have gone missing shortly after the SIR process was declared. Malviya cited an instance of a woman, who had worked locally for over two decades, vanishing and later being found to have returned to Bangladesh.
Further accounts indicate similar departures from other households in the same district. Some of these individuals reportedly informed their employers that they were returning to their home country temporarily until the situation stabilized. Malviya suggested this trend indicates a disruption in the Chief Minister’s perceived vote bank and pointed to the long-standing support allegedly provided to illegal immigrants by previous and current state governments.
The BJP has consistently argued that the Trinamool Congress’s strong opposition to the SIR is rooted in fears of losing the support of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters. Conversely, the Trinamool Congress has characterized the SIR as a BJP-led initiative to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal.
The Chief Election Commissioner recently announced the SIR for 12 states, including West Bengal, with the initial phase set to commence on November 4.