West Bengal Babri Masjid and Voter List Controversies
The incidents happened in West Bengal, mostly in Murshidabad district and later in the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office in Kolkata in late November and early December 2025.
The day to remember was when Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir announced the laying of the foundation stone of a new “Babri Masjid” on December 6, 2025 in Beldanga, Murshidabad, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the demolition of the original mosque. This declaration created a political backlash. At the same time, there occurred another but connected conflict at the office of the CEO on December 1 where the BJP headed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari faced a protesting group of Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The scandals were based on the strong political and communal polarization before the Assembly election of 2026. Kabir argued that the mosque was a religious right and a demand of the locality and BJP argued that the mosque was a premeditated appeasement politics to polarise votes and make West Bengal a West Bangladesh. The second case, the confrontation in the office of the CEO was about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. The BJP alleged that there was rampant corruption, such as the admission of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and dead voters, a fact refuted by the TMC and BLOs. The agitating BLOs wanted higher pay, a longer enumeration deadline, and an escape on the intolerable work pressure, and the TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee was on their side.
The case broke out when posters of the Babri Masjid event were circulated in Murshidabad triggering unrest and vandalism in the communally charged district. Humayun Kabir sounded provocative and dared anyone who attempted to intervene with him, and even threatened to commit violence. On December 1, when Adhikari and other members of the BJP were trying to enter the office of the CEO and present their deputation on the voter list problem, they were prevented by the demonstrating BLOs. An over-dramatic scenario of verbal exchanges and police barricading followed, and lasted through night. The CEO had earlier requested the police to provide him with an action report on the security breach after the current protests by BLO.
According to Humayun Kabir, this was his individual decision and a religious entitlement, which was not related to the electoral politics of his party, but he indicated that he would reorganize into a new political party. The TMC formally dissociated itself with his comments, but leaders such as Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee attacked the SIR process of the ECI in support of the grievances of the BLOs and and indicated that a reasonable amendment would be helpful to TMC. The BJP condemned both of these events as they saw them as a related effort by the TMC to corrupt the democratic process and promote communal polarization. They claimed that the mosque scheme was a vote-bank ploy and the revision of voter lists was an attempt at forming a West Bangladesh, which required a review of new additions. They also charged the TMC with involving the so-called goons (the BLOs) in breaking their meeting at the office of the CEO.
The scandals of the suggested building of the Babri Masjid and the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll of West Bengal highlight high levels of political tension and mistrust between the BJP and the TMC. These incidences underscore the manner in which procedural and religious matters can easily turn into political fighting grounds in a highly polarized atmosphere with each side accusing the other of being undemocratic. This has escalated the communal tensions and has created some form of doubts about whether the upcoming elections will be conducted fairly.
