After Mamata’s ‘false voter’ alarm, Suvendu bats for the NRC in Bengal

Suvendu Adhikari demands NRC implementation in West Bengal amid concerns over 'false voters' raised by Mamata Banerjee.

Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised concerns over the rise of ‘false voters’ in the State, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday (February 23, 2025) demanded the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State.

On February 12, Ms. Banerjee said that attempts were being made to include ‘false voters’ with online additions to the voters’ list. She alleged that there were plans to include 20,000 to 30,000 ‘fake voters’ in every Assembly constituency before the 2026 Assembly election.

While referring to reports of a “sudden increase” in the number of voters in Maharashtra, the CM said she had understood “the ploy” of the Opposition parties. Following the CM’s claims, a sudden spike of voters was reported from Champahati in South 24 Parganas. Asit Baran Mondal, pradhan of Champahati gram panchayat, said that hundreds of voters who were not locals in the area had been recently added to the voters’ list.

At a time when the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership was opposing online additions to the voters’ list, Mr. Adhikari said all political parties should support the NRC’s implementation in West Bengal. Mr. Adhikari said that the NRC was necessary to effectively combat issues, including infiltration, and avoid “changes in the demographic”.

“See how Bangladeshi terrorist outfits like Ansarullah Bangla are spreading their bases in Bengal districts. See how the demography is changing, particularly in border districts. What are the police and State administration doing? They are looking the other way,” Mr. Adhikari said in an apparent reference to the arrest of an accused person, Ansarullah Bangla Saad Sheikh, who had had his name included in the voters’ list, and was arrested by the Assam Police in January.

While the Trinamool Congress leadership is raising the issue of inclusion of voters from other States who are not residents of West Bengal, the BJP leadership claims that people from Bangladesh were illegally entering India and enrolling in the voters’ list. The issue of the NRC dominated the Assembly election campaign in 2021 and worked in favour of the Trinamool Congress.

Recently, BJP leaders have been saying that they had been elected to the Assembly with the support of Hindu voters.