Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to intensify her second phase of anti-SIR mobilisation through two consecutive rallies in minority dominated Malda and Murshidabad on Wednesday and Thursday.
After holding two back-to-back anti-SIR rallies in these two districts, Banerjee is likely to return to Kolkata on Thursday night. She will again travel to Cooch Behar on December 8 and address a mammoth rally at the historic Rash Mela Maidan on December 9. Banerjee’s consecutive rallies in three politically sensitive border districts with sizable minority and migrant populations is significant as her party tries to reclaim the political narrative ahead of 2026 Assembly elections and also to counter BJP’s narrative of “infiltrator cleansing”. Banerjee’s helicopter took off from Kolkata and later landed at Berhampore in Murshidabad on Tuesday afternoon. She was scheduled to stay at Berhampore circuit house on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, she will again fly to Malda where she will address a rally. After holding the rally, she is again expected to return to Berhampore on Wednesday afternoon, sources said.
At around 1 pm on Thursday, Banerjee will address another rally in Berhampore stadium. The district party leaders in Murshidabad already claimed that more than 1.5 lakh people will congregate at Berhampore stadium to hear Banerjee’s speech.
Sources within Trinamool Congress said that the Chief Minister was expected to hold a meeting with the top administrative officials of the Murshidabad in the circuit house on Tuesday evening as well. She may not have any administrative meeting in the schedule but the officials might brief her about the status of ongoing development works in the district. Political observers said that Banerjee may attack the BJP-led government at the Centre and Election Commission of India for the “unplanned” and “hasty” implementation of the SIR. She might raise Centre’s deprivations to the state while addressing the rallies. The selection of Malda,
Murshidabad and Cooch Behar for the next round of rallies against the ongoing electoral roll revision in the state reflects the demographic profile of these districts.
Malda and Murshidabad have significant minority populations, while Cooch Behar has a sizable Rajbanshi or Koch Rajbanshi community, many of whom shifted their allegiance towards the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, political analysts maintained.