Beyond numbers, how West Bengal's voter roll revision is redrawing citizenship lines

The article argues that the link between citizenship and voting, and the lack of transparent procedures for inclusion in electoral rolls, create a murky environment where exclusions are difficult to contest, potentially echoing NRC-like concerns in Assam and reshaping notions of who belongs.

The Namasudras—over 16% of West Bengal’s SC population—are numerous along Nadia and North 24 Parganas, with many traditionally crossing the border; a substantial share are followers of the Matua Mahasangha.

In tea gardens near the Teesta River in Mal constituency, a Muslim shopkeeper explained that the state can keep asking for documents; today he may be fine, but his children will have to prove their identity again and again to live here.

On the penultimate day of the 2026 electoral campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rally in Thakurnagar to affirm his commitment to the Matua community.

Next to the Matua Mahasangha shrine in Thakurnagar, an office offered a 'Hindutva Dharmiya certificate' alongside a CAA assistance centre. Officials described a process using a Hindutva certificate to apply for citizenship through CAA, but there was no legal basis for such religious certification, and they backtracked when questioned.

A Hindu man working in Gujarat’s Bharuch claimed the SIR had to be done and asserted that no one was cut in Hindu villages, while repeating rumors about Muslims with inflated names.

In a village near the Ichamati River in Taki, an elderly Muslim man said one son and one daughter (but not the other children) were deleted from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Review. The BLO told him their birth certificates were rejected and helped them re-apply online, shattering his trust in the bureaucracy as his wife fears speaking with outsiders.

The Trinamool Congress won the state election in 2021; in the Bongaon region, the BJP won five of seven assembly constituencies, including Gaighata.

There was an ugly Hindu-Muslim riot in Baduria, about 30 minutes from Taki, roughly a decade before 2026, reportedly sparked by a Facebook post and subsequent rumors that fanned communal violence.