Mamata alleges delimitation Bill is BJP's ploy to 'divide Bengal and India'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday (April 14, 2026) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union Government of introducing the Delimitation Bill to divide West Bengal and India. Speaking at an election rally in Domjur, Howrah, she claimed the exercise was aimed at gaining political mileage at a time when the BJP does not have a full majority at the Centre.
“They are tabling the delimitation bill to divide West Bengal and India at large. They are doing it for political mileage at a time when they don't have a majority. They are in power owing to the support of two other parties. Those two parties are supporting them because they fear the ED and CBI,” Ms. Banerjee said.
The Union Government has circulated three Bills that would pave the way for a fresh delimitation based on the latest notified Census and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 545 to a potential 850 members. The Bills are also aimed at enabling one-third reservation for women in Parliament and State assemblies.
Ms. Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chairperson, asserted that the delimitation exercise would be followed by the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leading to more deletions of names and detention camps. “The people of Bengal will be driven out, and you will bring people from outside and make them vote for you. Is that the plan? They have selectively deleted voters. Over 60 lakh Hindus, and 30 lakh Muslim names have been deleted,” she said, referring to the deletion of 91 lakh names during the Special Intensive Revision in the State.
This is not the first time the Chief Minister has voiced such concerns. On April 12, at a rally in Chhatna, Bankura, she had said the BJP-led government wanted to use delimitation to trifurcate Bengal and change its demographic and geographical composition. “Using delimitation, they might merge some districts of Bengal with Bihar and Odisha. Our people will be put through even more suffering. Our government will not allow the formation of detention camps,” she had said during the campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.
The delimitation exercise, mandated by the Constitution, is intended to redraw constituency boundaries based on population changes. However, critics have raised concerns about its timing and potential impact on regional representation. The Union Government has not yet responded to Ms. Banerjee's latest remarks.
Political observers note that the debate over delimitation has intensified ahead of the elections, with regional parties expressing fears that it could alter the political landscape. The Bills, once passed, would significantly expand the size of Parliament and State legislatures, a move that supporters argue would improve representation, while opponents claim it could marginalise certain States and communities.
Ms. Banerjee's allegations come amid a charged political atmosphere in West Bengal, where the ruling party and the BJP are locked in a bitter contest for the upcoming Assembly polls. The Chief Minister has repeatedly accused the central government of using central agencies like the ED and CBI to target opposition leaders, a charge the BJP has denied.
