Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a sharp political offensive on Friday, commencing his month-long 'Abar Jitbe Bangla' (Bengal Will Win Again) yatra from Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. The high-profile campaign kick-off was dominated by a fierce attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged discrepancies in the state's draft voter list.
A Dramatic Start: The 'Dead' Walk the Ramp
In a theatrical move aimed at highlighting his allegations, the three-time MP from Diamond Harbour orchestrated a unique protest during the rally. He presented three individuals—Manirul Mollah and Maya Das of Metiabruz, and Harekrishna Giri of Kakdwip—who he claimed were erroneously declared deceased in the draft electoral roll prepared during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
"Have you ever seen the dead walk the ramp?" Banerjee asked the gathered crowd, referring to a specially erected platform. "They are flesh-and-blood citizens of Bengal, cruelly declared dead by the EC just because they dared to vote against the BJP's anti-Bangla tyranny." The 38-year-old leader, widely seen as the party's second-in-command and nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asserted this was not an isolated incident.
He alleged at least 24 people in South 24 Parganas district alone were shown as dead while being alive, calling it a "conspiracy to disenfranchise" Bengali voters. "As long as we are there, we will not allow a person's right to vote to be taken away," he vowed.
Direct Challenge to the Election Commission and BJP
Banerjee's rhetoric escalated as he directly targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. He recounted a recent confrontation in Delhi, stating that when he questioned Kumar about the removal of Bangladeshis and Rohingya from the state's electoral rolls, the CEC "started pointing fingers" at him.
"I told him to put his finger down, telling him 'you are nominated and I am elected'," Banerjee told his supporters. He issued a bold warning, stating, "This time I went to Delhi, but what will you do when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee goes there next time?"
The TMC leader framed the upcoming Assembly elections, due in roughly three months, as a battle for Bengal's dignity. "This election is not just to defeat them but to teach these anti-Bangla people a lesson," he declared. He criticized the SIR process, claiming nearly 1.36 crore people in the state were being "forcibly summoned" by notices for hearings. "If the BJP has enmity with us, let them send notices to me and other Trinamool leaders. How dare they send notices to people like this?" he questioned.
Setting the Stage for a Heated Electoral Battle
The 'Abar Jitbe Bangla' yatra marks the formal beginning of the TMC's intensive grassroots campaign for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls. Over the next month, Banerjee is scheduled to hold roadshows, public meetings, and community interactions across the state to galvanize the party cadre and connect with voters.
Hinting at further escalations, the MP suggested he might revisit the EC headquarters in Delhi over the SIR issue. He issued a stark warning, saying, "If one third of the people gathered here today go to Delhi, Gyanesh Kumar and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah will be washed away. They won't be seen."
The rally in Baruipur on January 2, 2026, effectively set the confrontational tone for the TMC's campaign, positioning the party against both the BJP and the constitutional body overseeing the elections. The allegations over the voter list and the defiant rhetoric are likely to dominate the political discourse in Bengal in the run-up to the high-stakes state election.
