Bongaon: Only 59K attend SIR hearings out of 2.17L

Kolkata: The BJP had attempted to reassure the Matua community that there was no cause for concern if the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was implemented in West Bengal. However, these assurances appear to have failed to convince Matuas in the Bongaon sub-division of North 24-Parganas.

This became evident as only about 59,000 people turned up in response to SIR hearing notices in the Matua-dominated Bongaon area, where notices were served on a total of 2.17 lakh individuals.

Of these, around 1.20 lakh were Matuas. The state BJP is already on the back foot in Matua-dominated regions following the rollout of the SIR, an exercise that has triggered widespread anxiety within the community over issues of citizenship and voting rights.

There are four Assembly constituencies in the Bongaon Sub-division. They are Bongaon Uttar, Bongaon Dakshin, Bagda and Gaighata. In Bongaon Uttar, SIR hearing notices were served to around 54,493 people, out of which 10,063 did not appear for the hearing. Out of 47,889 served SIR hearing notices, only 12,103 attended the hearing in Bongaon Dakshin. In Bagda, only 21,628 people were said to have attended the hearing, while notices were served to 60,926 people. Out of 54,404 in Gaighata who were served hearing notices, only 16,081 attended the hearing.

Out of these four, only the Bagda Assembly seat belongs to the ruling Trinamool Congress. Amid growing anxiety in Bongaon’s Matua-dominated areas over the possible deletion of a large number of names from the voters’ list during the SIR process, the BJP found itself further embarrassed after one of its own MLAs had to appear at an SIR hearing. Swapan Majumdar, BJP MLA from Bongaon Dakshin (South), turned up at an SIR hearing held at a madrasa in Bongaon recently.

It was alleged that most of these Matuas do not possess any valid documents to prove their citizenship.

BJP’s support base in the Matua dominated areas, which helped the saffron party win several elections in the past, seemed to be loosening. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, while addressing an internal meeting with the Bongaon organisational district, recently laid emphasis on securing victories in all Assembly seats across Matuas-dominated areas.