Clash erupts between rival Matua groups in Bengal over voter deletion remarks by Union minister Shantanu Thakur

“The conspiracy of Shantanu Thakur and the BJP to delete one lakh Matua voters’ names has come to light through his statement,” she added.Addressing a BJP meeting at Hanshkhali-Garapota on Monday night, the BJP MP from Bongaon appeared to ask members of the community to be prepared for what he described as a “sacrifice for a good cause”.“Even if it is a problem, we should accept this,” he added.Shantanu Thakur acknowledged the likelihood of a large number of Matua voters being dropped from the electoral roll and reiterated that applying for citizenship under the amended citizenship law was, in his view, the only solution to resolve what he described as the identity crisis of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, including the Matuas.A large number of voters from Matua-dominated areas in North 24 Parganas, Nadia and parts of Jalpaiguri districts are among the 58 lakh dead, duplicate, permanently shifted and absentee electors dropped from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise in West Bengal.Shantanu Thakur is the chief of the BJP-leaning faction of the All India Matua Mahasangha.His remarks, however, have put the BJP on the back foot, raising concerns within the party about a possible erosion of its Matua vote base.BJP leaders have sought to portray the omission of voters’ names as temporary, claiming it would ultimately lead to a permanent resolution of the citizenship issue faced by the community.Within the BJP, concerns over the potential fallout among Matua voters are also rising. BJP MLA Subrata Thakur, brother of Shantanu Thakur, has called for fast-track hearings of Citizenship (Amendment) Act applications to ensure citizenship and voter enrolment for eligible members of the community.



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