First day of dharna by CM Mamata Banerjee & Avisek Banerjee on Dharmotala Metro Channel. | Photo credit: Debasish Bhaduri
The Bharatiya Janata Party said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s dharna (sit-in) against the special intensive review on Friday (March 6) was an attempt to disrupt the SIR process. The BJP says the CM is abdicating his constitutional responsibility by leading a dharna against the Election Commission of India.
Former Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta said the dharna was an attempt to create chaos in Kolkata and the state. “It is against her constitutional responsibility… The Constitution has become a convenient tool for her,” Mr. Dasgupta said.
He further added that the Parivartan Yatra, which the BJP is conducting across the state in several districts, is a means of crushing Ms. Banerjee’s pride so that the people of Bengal can see how her government has become an “assault on justice” and help them elect another leader in the upcoming elections.
The EC faces obstacles
Mr. Dasgupta said that while the EC requires the cooperation of the state government to fulfill its constitutional obligations, in reality, various hurdles are being created instead. He added that a proper revision of the voter list is necessary to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
This comes after Ms. Banerjee staged a dharna in the heart of Kolkata on Friday (March 6, 2026) to protest the unauthorized deletion of names and the 60 lakh voters left in limbo in the SIR trial.
Ms. Banerjee and all the top officials of the ruling Trinamool Congress government took part in a dharna on Friday at a stage in the Esplanade area of Kolkata. The party’s second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee, Kolkata Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim, recently nominated Rajya Sabha MP Menak Guruswamy, and former Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar was also on the dais with Ms Banerjee.
60 million still in court
“If around 60,000 names are on trial, then Narendra Modi’s seat should also be a trial,” Mr. Banerjee said from the podium.
The final voter list was released on February 28, which included 7.04 million voters, but also included 60 million voters who are still eligible. Their names are likely to be published through supplementary electoral rolls in the coming week.
Elections to the State Legislature are likely to be held in April and the dates may be officially announced in the coming days.
Published – 06 Mar 2026 20:57 IST
