West Bengal's Voter Roll Revision Sparks Anxiety Among Matua Community

Add TNIE As A Trusted Source KOLKATA:As West Bengal braces for a fresh voter roll revision, panic, anger, and suspicion are rippling through the Matua heartland, leaving both the BJP and TMC cornered in their most crucial refugee bastion amid fears of mass disenfranchisement under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). For the Matuas, a Hindu refugee community with a decisive presence in over 40 assembly seats across the border districts of North 24 Parganas, Nadia, and parts of South 24 Parganas, the Election Commission's decision to conduct the first SIR since 2002 to remove duplicate, deceased, and ineligible voters has revived anxieties over identity and citizenship. Those not on the 2002 voter list must now furnish documents to prove eligibility. Thousands of Matuas have migrated from Bangladesh over decades, often without proper documentation, unsettling not only the community but also the TMC and BJP, long locked in a tug-of-war for their support. Union minister and Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur, the BJP's most prominent Matua face, attempted to reassure them, saying, “There is no need to worry if names of refugee Matuas are deleted. They will get Indian citizenship under the CAA.”