BJP to launch over 1,000 CAA camps in West Bengal, zeroes in on Bangladesh border ahead of electoral roll revision

As Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations wind down, the West Bengal BJP is set to roll out over 1,000 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) camps across the state, aiming to reach persecuted Hindu refugees from Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Senior party leaders said that the push is part of a long-standing BJP agenda, delayed only by the Covid pandemic. “This was an agenda for the BJP from day one. There was a slight delay in framing the rules due to the Covid pandemic, but we are ready,” said State BJP president and MP Samik Bhattacharya.

The camps will focus heavily on border districts where demographic changes are most pronounced, including North 24 Parganas and Nadia in South Bengal, and Cooch Behar and Uttar Dinajpur in North Bengal.

Party insiders noted that local Hindu organizations and community clubs will join BJP units in guiding eligible residents through the citizenship process.

A training workshop led by BJP general secretary (Organization) BL Santosh recently prepared workers, leaders, and representatives of “apolitical” groups on CAA procedures. Trained members will return to their regions to assist residents in applying for citizenship certificates ahead of the SIR process.

“It is important to make the common man understand why CAA is needed. A lot of misinformation has been spread about it, which is why people are scared,” a senior BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has directed chief electoral officers to finalize preparations for the SIR of voter lists in all states and union territories, setting the stage for the BJP’s intensified outreach.