Trinamool Congress hails Mamata Banerjee’s Supreme Court appearance as ‘big win’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s appearance before the Supreme Court, where she sought to raise objections to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), has come as a major shot in the arm for the Trinamool Congress. The ruling party hailed the development as a “BIG WIN for Hon’ble Chief Minister Smt. @MamataOfficial” and said the Supreme Court directed officials to act with sensitivity.

Photos and videos of the Chief Minister appearing before the division Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant were widely circulated by the party on social media. “Inside the Supreme Court, Mamata Banerjee wore the lawyer’s coat, argued with facts, and forced accountability,” the party posted on social media.

“History is written by those who refuse to stay silent. When democracy is under attack, Didi stands up for Bengal with courage and conviction. Today’s fight is not about power, it is about the people,” the Trinamool Congress said in another social media message.

From Ministers in the West Bengal government to party MPs and spokespersons, several Trinamool Congress leaders lauded the efforts of the party chairperson in arguing against the SIR before the Supreme Court. The Chief Minister has opposed the SIR since the exercise was held ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar last year. Once the process began in West Bengal in November 2025, Ms. Banerjee took to the streets to protest against it. Between November 2025 and January 2026, she wrote six letters to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Her visit to Delhi is being described as the culmination of the protest against the SIR. Apart from parading those who, according to the party, suffered on account of the SIR, she held a meeting with the CEC alleging mistreatment and, on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), appeared before the Supreme Court.

SIR as poll plank

While the SIR is aimed at cleansing the electoral rolls in West Bengal, the exercise has become an election issue in the State ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. For the Trinamool Congress, which is facing anti incumbency after three terms, the ongoing SIR has emerged as a poll plank. The party claims that the Bharatiya Janata Party, in collusion with the Election Commission of India, is harassing people in the State and attempting to delete genuine voters.

In the first phase of the SIR, about 58 lakh names were removed from the State’s electoral roll, while about 1.36 crore voters, or around 20% of the electorate, were included under logical discrepancies. The total number of electors in the State is about 7.08 crore.

The West Bengal BJP leadership, which has been demanding the SIR, has admitted harassment of people on account of the exercise, but alleged that the Trinamool Congress, in collusion with a few officials involved in the process, is responsible for the harassment.

Amid the political tussle, relations between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission of India reached another dead end over the appointment of State government officials as central poll observers for other States. The ECI on Wednesday communicated to the West Bengal government that no change would be allowed in the list of 15 IAS and 10 IPS officers from the West Bengal cadre who were originally selected by the Commission for appointment as central poll observers in other States.