Alleging that many voters’ names have been removed from the SIR voter list in his area, Nilkanta Thandhar, Trinamool Congress president of Ward No. 2 of Sonamukhi Municipality in Bankura district, has begun a long protest march to Kolkata.

Thandhar started the journey on foot and is expected to cover nearly 160 kilometres in around 70 hours. His march is aimed at protesting the alleged deletion of names of several ordinary voters from the electoral rolls in the Sonamukhi Assembly constituency.

On Friday, the Trinamool Congress is scheduled to hold a demonstration at Metro Channel in Dharmatala under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. If the protest is still ongoing when Thandhar reaches Kolkata, he plans to join the demonstration at Metro Channel. He has also announced that he will sit in a demonstration in front of the Election Commission office if necessary.

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Before starting his journey, a meeting was held in Sonamukhi town on Thursday afternoon. During the gathering, party leaders and workers offered him sweets and wished him well. After the meeting, Thandhar began his march carrying a flag decorated with tuberose flowers on his shoulder, while supporters accompanied him in a procession for some distance.

Speaking about the protest, Thandhar said, “Many ordinary voters' names from the Sonamukhi assembly constituency have been removed from the list. I have taken to the streets in protest. If necessary, I will launch a bigger movement.”

Somnath Mukhopadhyay, Vice Chairman of Sonamukhi Municipality and General Secretary of the state INTUC, also expressed support for the march. He said, “If Nilkanta sits in front of the Election Commission office, we will also join with hundreds of party workers.”