New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Trinamool Congress's vote percentage and seat count will increase in the upcoming elections, surpassing the 2021 figures.

Speaking to mediapersons, he warned the BJP that if this happens, they will have to apologise to the people of Bengal and release the withheld Rs 2 crore within 7 days.

'No matter what you do, the Trinamool Congress's vote percentage and seat count will increase as compared to 2021... If it increases, the BJP will have to apologise to 10 crore Bengalis and release the Rs 2 crore they have withheld from Bengal within 7 days...,' said AITC MP Abhishek Banerjee on SIR in West Bengal.

Recalling his earlier challenge to the SIR exercise, Banerjee said he had questioned the move within 24 hours of its announcement in November. 'I challenged you from a press conference in Kolkata that even if you do SIR or FIR, TMC's seats and vote percentage will increase. Even after one and a half months, the challenge has not been accepted,' he said. 'Who is scared now? The person who is challenging or who has been challenged? I am challenging them, and they are scared.'

The next West Bengal Legislative Assembly election is expected to be held in March-April 2026. In preparation for this, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has recently concluded a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

The draft list, published on Tuesday, shows that more than 58 lakh (5.8 million) names have been provisionally deleted to remove duplicates, shift voters, or mark them as deceased.

Banerjee also commented on the deletion of 58 lakh names from the electoral roll after the Special Summary Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, stating that the draft list is not the final list and the claim and objection period is ongoing until January 31.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the SIR process, attributing the deletion of names to the Election Commission's appointed Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

'The draft list has been released; it is not the final list. The claim and objection period will continue until 31 January... I will say anything about it only after the final list is released... I am not satisfied with how SIR is being implemented in the state... The BLOs were not appointed by the TMC or the West Bengal government; the Election Commission appointed them. They have held the EC responsible for their death... Did the BJP provide a list of people who were granted citizenship under the CAA? Where is the accountability of the BJP?...,' said Banerjee.

The Election Commission, in its draft rolls released on Tuesday, said that 58,20,899 electors, about 7.59 per cent of the total electorate, were deleted for reasons including death, untraceability, or permanent migration. Out of 7,66,37,529 registered voters, 7,08,16,630 had submitted enumeration forms as of December 11.

The poll body clarified that eligible voters who may have been excluded can still be included during the claims and objections window, which runs from December 16 to January 15, 2026. The TMC, however, has continued to allege that the SIR exercise is politically motivated, while expressing confidence that its support base in Bengal remains intact. (ANI)