Bengali migrants return to check voter names before April elections
With West Bengal assembly elections set for April 23 and 29, lakhs of Bengali migrants are heading back from states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala to make sure they're still on the voter list.
Many are anxious about their names being deleted: official estimates say 3.6 million Bengalis live outside the state, but some put the number closer to 5 million.
Voter deletions spark party train dispute
Recent Election Commission revisions have led to huge numbers of voter deletions in high-migration districts like Malda and Murshidabad.
Political parties are trying to win over these returning voters; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says it is helping with trains, though Trinamool Congress (TMC) disagrees.
Meanwhile, groups like the Migrant Workers Unity Forum point out that migrant workers did not receive special train arrangements for the return journey;
Asif Faruk, state general secretary of Parijayee Shramik Aikya Manch (Migrant Workers Unity Forum), shared, "The ink on the forefinger is not just a mark of voting; it is a symbol of asserting one's Indian identity by erasing the 'Bangladeshi' label." showing just how much this election means for them.