For Bengal Roll Revision, BJP Red Flags 5 of 12 Approved Documents

The BJP has written to the Election Commission, suggesting that extra caution be exercised for the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in West Bengal, claiming that the Mamata Banerjee government has issued "backdated" and "forged" documents on a large scale.  

Citing the example of state government's flagship scheme "Duare Sarkar", the party has alleged that the documents issued by the state government are "ostensibly aimed at citizen welfare but effectively utilized to provide documentation to illegal infiltrators from across the border".

"Numerous field reports indicate that since 2020, there has been an exponential increase in the number of certificates issued under these drives. Many of these are being used to create a false trail of citizenship and residence, thereby undermining the very purpose of the SIR, which is to ensure that only genuine citizens are enrolled as voters," the party said in its memorandum. 

In its list of documents for which "caution" should be exercised, the party included Birth Certificates, Permanent Residence Certificates, Forest Rights Certificates, Caste Certificates, Family Registers and Land and House Allotment Certificates.

It also suggested that the poll commission seek a couple of extra documents from the residents of the state: 
* Record of Rights (Land Khatians) recorded before the first Duare Sarkar camp of 2020, including formal mutations in names of direct descendants. 
* PROFLAL (Provident Fund for Landless Agricultural Labourers) registrations prior to the last SIR for direct descendants.

In its recommendations, the party said Birth Certificates should not be accepted if they are issued after June 24, 2025, citing a "surge in delayed and backdated registrations".

Permanent Residence Certificates, it said, can be accepted only if they are issued and signed by Group-A officers, and cross-verified with the issuing authority.

Forest Rights Certificates issued before April 2 this year should be considered valid, owing to alleged irregularities in appointments.

For OBC-A Caste Certificates, it said those issued between 2011 and 2024 must be ignored, since many were issued to "illegal infiltrators". The matter is currently pending before the Calcutta High Court, it pointed out.

The party also warned against family registers, contending these are not properly maintained in the state. Registers prepared after June 24, 2025, and those under MGNREGA should not be accepted, it said. 

The memorandum, submitted by a delegation comprising senior party leaders Samik Bhattacharya, Amit Malviya and Biplab Deb, asked the poll body to treat West Bengal as a "special case".

The memorandum has escalated the ongoing political row over SIR, with the ruling Trinamool Congress asserting that the Special Intensive Revision of the voters' list will be opposed "both on the streets (of the state) and in Delhi".