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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s sit-in protest against alleged arbitrary deletions in the voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) entered its third day on Sunday, with the West Bengal chief minister accusing the BJP of misusing institutions to remove legitimate voters from electoral rolls.

Her remarks came as a full bench of the Election Commission of India is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata to review poll preparedness ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.

Addressing supporters at the protest site in Dharmatala, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief alleged that the country is witnessing an “unprecedented and direct assault” on its democratic foundations.

“In their ‘One Nation, One Leader, One Party’ frenzy, the BJP has systematically weaponised every democratic institution and constitutional post to serve its own jono-birodhi (anti-people) ambitions,” Banerjee said.

She further claimed that the BJP’s ultimate aim is to replace the Constitution drafted under B. R. Ambedkar with its party manifesto.

“For years, they have unleashed central agencies, national commissions, a servile ‘godi media’, and a compliant section of the judiciary against Bengal. Now they are misusing the Election Commission to erase legitimate voters from the rolls,” she alleged.

Banerjee also described the BJP leadership as “zamindars of Delhi”, asserting that they would not succeed in their attempt to “subjugate” Bengal.

“Our dharna at Dharmatala is our answer to every Bangla-birodhi (anti-Bengal) agenda that seeks to humiliate, intimidate and persecute the people of this state,” she said.

Her remarks come amid a growing political row over the SIR exercise. According to official data released on February 28, about 63.66 lakh names — roughly 8.3 per cent of the electorate — have been deleted since the revision began in November last year, reducing the voter base from around 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.

In addition, more than 60.06 lakh voters have been placed under the “under adjudication” category, meaning their eligibility will be determined through legal scrutiny in the coming weeks — a process that could further reshape constituency-level electoral equations.

Banerjee said that while the BJP’s priority is power, her government’s focus “has always been the people”, adding that just as Bengal had once risen against colonial rule, it would “rise again” to bring about the BJP’s “inevitable downfall”.