Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner, urging him to ensure that no domicile certificates issued on or after July 25, 2025 are accepted during the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls.
Adhikari raised alarm over what he described as a potential voter list manipulation scheme in West Bengal. According to him, more than 70,000 Form-6 applications have been filed in the past week alone — a significant jump from the usual weekly average of 20,000 to 25,000 — particularly in districts such as Coochbehar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri.
Adhikari claimed that the West Bengal Administration is issuing domicile certificates to Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to alter the voter demographics.
In a post on X, Adhikari wrote, “A disturbing trend has emerged in West Bengal’s border districts. Over 70,000 Form-6 applications have been submitted on average in the last week, a sharp rise from the usual 20,000-25,000, especially in Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North & South 24 Parganas districts. This surge, coupled with reports of Domicile Certificates being issued by the West Bengal Administration, raises serious concerns about the State Govt’s unethical and illegal efforts in order to facilitate the legitimising of the infiltrating Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, with the aim to manipulate our Voter Lists.”
In his letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Adhikari stated that this sharp rise in Form-6 submissions across several border districts has triggered alarm over potential attempts to tamper with the state’s voter rolls.
“Over the past week alone, more than 70,000 applications have reportedly been submitted on average — an almost threefold increase compared to the usual 20,000-25,000 per week. The districts witnessing this unprecedented surge include Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, and both North and South 24 Parganas,” his letter read.
The BJP MLA added, “This surge, coupled with reports of Domicile Certificates being issued by the West Bengal Administration, raises serious concerns about the State Govt’s unethical and illegal efforts in order to facilitate the legitimising of the infiltrating Rohingya Muslims and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, with the aim to manipulate our Voter Lists.”
He asserted that the integrity of India’s democracy must be protected and must not be diluted for “vested interests of vote bank politics”. The letter also reminded District Election Officers of their constitutional duty to ensure free and fair elections and to protect the nation’s democratic interests above all else.
On Sunday, Adhikari criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for what he described as her Bhasha Aandolan “drama” to obstruct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
On July 25, while addressing a gathering in Kolkata, Banerjee had called for another ‘Bhasha Aandolan’, alleging that Bengali-speaking people in other states were being harassed. Adhikari labelled Banerjee a “protector” of Bangladeshi Muslims and claimed that a substantial portion of her vote bank consisted of “infiltrators, Bangladeshis and Rohingyas”.
“It is only a drama to stop SIR. Mamata Banerjee is a relative of the Rohingyas. She is the protector of Bangladeshi Muslims. A big part of her vote bank are infiltrators, Bangladeshis and Rohingyas,” Adhikari told the media agency.
Earlier, during an event in Kolkata on July 21, Banerjee had criticised the Election Commission of India, accusing it of removing 40 lakh names from the voters’ list in Bihar and alleging that the same would be attempted in West Bengal.
“ECI removed over 40 lakh names from the voters’ list in Bihar, and now you want to do the same in Bengal? Try it, and we will launch a Gherao movement… We will not let this new law stand. We will fight, we will change it, we will not accept it,” Banerjee said during her address.
The Election Commission of India is conducting a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the state’s assembly elections later this year.
The ECI has clarified that names in the electoral rolls will not be deleted without due notice and a written order by the Electoral Registration Officer, in accordance with SIR guidelines.
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