The Phase 2 trust vote in West Bengal: Who will win the Matua votes? | India News

In Gaighata, 16,222 out of 22,278 flagged voters were removed, and Bagdah saw more than 15,000 removed. Similar patterns were found across Bangaon North and South.Across Nadia constituencies like Krishnanagar North, Krishnanagar South and Ranaghat divisions, more than 90 per cent people under scrutiny did not make it to the final list. According to administrative calculations a significant proportion of the victims belonged to the Matua Namasudra community.The scale of the erasure comes at a time when the community remains in the middle of a long-pending citizenship process.

Anxious overlap

Of the nearly 1.12 lakh applications filed across West Bengal after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rules were announced in March 2024, only 15,000 have been approved so far. Over 50,000 of these petitions came from North 24 Parganas and Nadia, the same districts now witnessing large-scale voter boycott.This overlap has heightened concerns on the ground. In several pockets, residents who have lived and voted in the area for decades say their names have been marked “under trial” or erased entirely.

SIR data

“We were promised citizenship, but it did not come. Now we are helpless,” Gaighata resident Sukhmoy Halder told TOI.Ramesh Gayen from Baghdad, who applied for citizenship months ago, said delays in the process meant he would not be able to vote in this election. Yogesh Biswas of the same region said he refrained from applying, hoping for clarity at first, but now the risk is also being ruled out.

Purification politics

The political response has been sharp and conflicting. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the SIR exercise was designed to disenfranchise Matua voters, while local BJP leaders and workers in some constituencies criticized the scale of the erasure.In Baghdad and Gaighata, protests and defections were reported, with some party workers openly opposing the selection of candidates and linking their anger to the omission of the voter list. However, the Prime Minister at the national level Narendra Modi Wanted to reassure the community. Addressing a rally in Bengal, he said the Matua and Namashudra families would get citizenship and “all the benefits an Indian citizen is entitled to” under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Prime Minister Modi also offered prayers at the Matua Thakur temple in North 24 Parganas and reiterated his government’s resolve to fast-track Indian citizenship for its members in a public meeting.While the Prime Minister, in her rally on Sunday, asked Matua and other Hindu refugees from Bangladesh not to heed the TMC’s demands, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP campaigners emphasized the party’s commitment to their welfare.The assurance comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tries to retain support in a region that contributed significantly to its rise from 2 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 to 18 in 2019. Yet, on the ground, the immediate concern is not long-term policy, but current merits. In North 24 Parganas, where the Matuas account for nearly 30 percent of the population and 33 assembly constituencies, the question many voters are grappling with is procedural such as whether their names will be restored in time or whether applying for citizenship will affect their status and whether they will be able to participate in the April 29 polling process.

Block can shake Bengal?

The risk of this uncertainty is high due to the selective weighting of communities. The Matua Namasudra population is estimated to be about 17 to 18 percent of the population of West Bengal, with a much higher concentration in the border districts. Their presence is spread across North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Cooch Behar and parts of North Bengal.Election analysts estimate that Matua voters influence the outcome of 60 to 65 assembly constituencies. Only in the second phase, they are an important factor in 21 constituencies. In tightly contested elections, this level of influence gives communities leverage that political parties cannot afford to ignore.This is evident in recent election trends. In 2019, the BJP made big gains in Bengal, winning 18 Lok Sabha seats, driven in part by support in Matua-dominated areas like Bangaon and Ranaghat. In the 2021 assembly elections, it won 9 out of 21 seats with Matua voters being a deciding factor. Even in 2024, when its numbers drop, it retains the lead in some of these categories. The TMC, which had earlier built strong support through welfare measures and refugee resettlement, continues to see the community as central to its electoral strategy. The result is a fierce contest for a vote bank that is large and increasingly entrenched.

From caste to political center

The political significance of the Matua Namasudra community lies in its history. The Namasudras were once among the most marginalized castes in East Bengal, sunk at the lowest rung of the social hierarchy. Their demands began in the nineteenth century under Harichand Tagore, who founded the Matua movement as a rejection of casteism and a call for dignity and equality.His son Guru Chand Tagore expanded the movement to promote education and political awareness. Matua identity became a religious and social force, offering an alternative to both caste oppression and religious conversion pressure.Partition disrupted this trajectory. Over several decades, large numbers of Namasudras migrated from East Pakistan and later Bangladesh, especially during the 1950 riots and the 1971 war. They came to West Bengal as refugees, often settling in colonies with limited infrastructure and economic opportunities.Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas emerged as the center of the Matua movement in India, uniting faith, memory and identity. Over time, this shared experience of displacement transformed into political consciousness.

An unfinished promise

For decades, the question of citizenship remained unresolved for many in the community. The CAA was seen as a turning point, offering a path to formal recognition of non-Muslim refugees from neighboring countries.For the Matuas, this was not just a legal provision. It was tied to their history of displacement and their search for belonging. The promise of citizenship carries both practical and symbolic significance.In districts like North 24 Parganas and Nadia, where more than 50,000 applications have been submitted, many applicants are still waiting just as 15000 have cleared out of 1.12 lakh across Bengal.This gap between promise and delivery has created frustration. The SIR exercise intensified the frustration by bringing questions of documentation and eligibility into immediate focus.

SIR Pure

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has become a flashpoint in the Matua populated area. Although it is formally an administrative process, its implications are deeply political and social.In several constituencies, entire clusters of voters have been marked “under trial” and later removed. Residents say the process is difficult to navigate, with documentation requirements and limited clarity on timelines.“My parents and grandmother have been voting since 2002. I was born and educated here, yet our names were erased,” a resident of the area told TOI.For many, the concern goes beyond voting. Selective identity is associated with welfare schemes and state recognition. Losing a place in the electoral roll also raises the fear of losing other rights.“I have an old-age pension and fear I may lose it if I am no longer a registered voter,” said another resident.This fear reflects a deep insecurity. For a community shaped by migration and delayed recognition, verification processes are not seen as routine. They are experienced as tests of kinship.

An internal partition

The response to the SIR revealed divisions not only between parties, but also within them. The TMC has accused the BJP of using the exercise to undermine an important voter base. The BJP, while defending the process at the central level, has faced criticism from sections of its own local leadership.Protests and defections were reported in constituencies such as Baghdad and Gaighata. Citing discontent over both candidate selection and voter alienation, some leaders contested elections as independents.The Tagore family, which holds symbolic authority within the Matua community, is itself divided along political lines. Different members associate with different groups, reflecting the wider divisions within the community.This division has implications for voting patterns. The Matua vote, once thought capable of unifying behind a single political force, now appears more fluid.

Beyond Arithmetic

Despite this division, the Matua Namasudra community is one of the most politically conscious groups in the state. Its voting behavior is shaped not only by immediate convenience but also by a strong sense of history and identity.This identity includes memories of caste discrimination, reformist movements led by Harichand and Guruchand Tagore, and experiences of displacement after partition. It also includes efforts to rebuild life in a new state while seeking recognition and status.These factors influence how communities respond to political messaging. Citizenship commitments resonate because they solve a long-standing problem. At the same time, administrative actions such as SIRs are closely scrutinized because they affect immediate rights.

A question behind the vote

As West Bengal moves through its electoral cycle, the Matua belt stands out not only for its electoral importance but also for the questions it raises.Competition in these seats is not only between political parties. It’s also about commitment and process. Between long-term assurance and immediate experience.For many voters, the choice is no longer about which party to support. Whether they will be able to participate in the first place.The Matua Namasudra community has come a long way from ethnic marginalization in East Bengal to becoming a decisive force in West Bengal politics. Its journey reflects resilience and adaptability.This election drags that journey to a moment. A moment where citizenship remains incomplete and electoral participation itself is called into question.As April 29 approaches, the mood in the Matua heartland is defined less by campaign rhetoric and more by a simple, unresolved concern about whether they will be counted.Also Read | In Search of Indian ‘Identity’: Will Matua-Namasudras Rewrite ‘Puriburton’ in Bengal Elections?