West Bengal’s fiercely competitive politics, long associated with sharp rhetoric, mass mobilisation and violent rivalries, have entered a new phase of confrontation with the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The process, aimed at ensuring “pure” voter lists as per the Election Commission of India’s slogan, has triggered widespread political turbulence that is expected to shape the run-up to the 2026 state assembly elections.

At the heart of the dispute lies the question of who qualifies as an “illegal migrant” (ghuspaithiya) and who can legitimately claim Indian citizenship and voting rights. The Election Commission’s revised list of documents required to establish citizenship primarily affects voters who were not enrolled during the previous SIR exercise

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