However, the recent electoral rolls released after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) have transformed this promise into the BJP’s most significant vulnerability.
The removal of lakhs of names from the Matua community in Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts has triggered the initial signs of political discontent in the Hindu refugee regions that have been central to the BJP’s growth in Bengal since 2019.
What has unsettled the party is not merely the sheer number of deletions but also the specific locations that were most impacted.
The BJP had cultivated a seemingly stable social foundation in areas like Bongaon, Bagdah, Gaighata, Swarupnagar, Ranaghat, and Krishnanagar based on the expectation of citizenship promised under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
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The political narrative in these regions has shifted dramatically. Just a few months prior, the BJP was urging Matua voters to support them with the promise that the CAA would resolve long-standing uncertainties regarding identity and belonging.
Now, many of those very voters are questioning why, after consistently supporting the BJP based on the citizenship promise, they feel “forced to prove their belonging.”
“After voting on the promise of citizenship for years, I have lost my voting rights. If my name is not on the voter list, what assurance do I have that I won’t be told tomorrow that I don’t belong here?” asked Ashok Mondal from Gaighata.
Signs of erosion in the voter base have already emerged. In Boyra village of Bagdah, nearly 50 Matua families switched their allegiance to the TMC after discovering their names were absent from the rolls.
“We voted for the BJP because they promised to resolve these issues. Instead, we have lost our voting rights,” remarked a villager who has since joined the TMC.
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The Matua vote is dispersed across nearly 55 assembly constituencies in Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and sections of north Bengal. This community has frequently influenced electoral results in southern Bengal.
BJP insiders privately acknowledge that seats dominated by Matua and refugee voters contributed significantly to their 77-seat tally in the 2021 elections.
This is why the final electoral rolls have placed the BJP in a state of anxiety.
“If the Matua vote is disrupted, we will face repercussions because this is our essential social base. Our challenge now is to retain the voters who are still on the rolls and persuade others that their names will be reinstated,” a BJP leader from Bongaon commented to PTI.
North 24 Parganas, home to the largest concentration of the Matua community, lost more than 12.3 lakh names during the voter list revision.
The most significant impact was seen in the Bongaon subdivision.
In Bagdah alone, there were around 55,000 deletions, while Bongaon North and South together experienced nearly 75,000 removals. Gaighata saw about 39,000 names disappear, and Swarupnagar lost around 18,000.
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In Nadia, where Matua influence extends to Ranaghat, Krishnaganj, and parts of Chakdaha, nearly 78% of those under adjudication were removed — the highest rate in the state.
Researchers analyzing SIR data observed that the highest proportions of “unmapped” voters were found in constituencies designated for the Scheduled Caste, such as Gaighata and Bagdah, primarily affecting Matuas and Namasudras.
This situation has placed the BJP in a precarious position in regions where it previously claimed that Hindu refugees need not worry about documentation because the CAA would safeguard them.
Before the elections, the party set up CAA helpdesks around Bengal and encouraged refugee Hindus to apply first and verify later. The message was that even those lacking formal documents would eventually attain citizenship.
However, following the release of the final electoral rolls, many families find themselves back in line with outdated voter slips, Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and school certificates, trying to validate their identities.
Bongaon MP and Union minister Shantanu Thakur asserted there was no cause for alarm.
“No Hindu refugee will have to go anywhere. Nobody will be forced to Bangladesh. We are assisting everyone in filing appeals. Everyone will receive citizenship and have their names restored on the voter rolls,” he stated.
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The BJP has deployed workers in Matua-dominated regions to assist individuals in filling out Form 6 applications and filing online appeals. Yet, this reassurance has not fully resonated.
“There is frustration, confusion, and a sense of helplessness. People believed the citizenship issue had been resolved. Instead, they are once more standing in lines with documents in hand,” lamented Mahitosh Baidya of the All India Matua Mahasangha.
He noted that citizenship certificates granted thus far in Matua regions represent less than 1% of an estimated one crore applicants.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sought to channel that frustration into a political counterattack, contending that even the Hindu refugees who supported the BJP are no longer safe from name deletions.
Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur, who leads the TMC-affiliated faction of the Matua Mahasangha, remarked, “Matuas voted for the BJP, thinking it would provide them citizenship. Now, even their voting rights are being stripped away. People are terrified that after their names vanish from the rolls, they might be labeled as foreigners.”
For years, the BJP assured Bengal’s refugee Hindus that citizenship was merely a vote away. Following the final SIR rolls, many in the Matua stronghold are questioning what exactly their vote guaranteed if their names on the voter list are no longer secure.
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