What is unique to Bengal, possibly, is the people here have a confidence in their ability to protest, to resist authority. If the clean-up of the electoral rolls scares the Trinamool, keeping the scare quotient high among the voters on the SIR exercise is beneficial for the party. Bengal Assembly leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari rolled out a list of the exceptions in Bengal on the SIR exercise. “When the first suicidal death [in Bengal] was linked to the SIR exercise why didn’t the commission sent a representative to the victim’s house,” asked Subhankar Sarkar, the Bengal Congress president. 5 6 SIR hearings underway in Bengal (PTI)As the extended deadline for the SIR inches closer in the state, so does the poll season.

Source: The Telegraph January 24, 2026 15:00 UTC