End of 'safe haven': What BJP's landslide victory in Bengal would mean for illegal Bangladeshi migrants

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have both said that illegal migrants should prepare to leave, while also pledging to fully seal West Bengal’s 2,217-kilometre border with Bangladesh to prevent further crossings.

With the BJP securing a landslide victory in West Bengal, questions are growing about the future of Bangladeshi illegal migrants in the state. The outcome points to a possible shift toward a stricter zero-tolerance stance on illegal immigration, along with faster implementation of citizenship laws for certain refugee groups. In its manifesto, Bhoroshar Shopoth, the BJP outlines its approach in three words: detect, delete, deport.

The party says it will identify illegal entrants, remove them from voter lists, and deport them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also said illegal migrants should be prepared to leave, and have pledged to seal West Bengal’s 2,217-kilometre border with Bangladesh to curb further crossings.

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SIR to CAA

A key element of this approach is the revision of voter rolls. The BJP plans to use data from the Special Intensive Revision exercise to remove what it describes as “fake voters.” Critics, however, argue that such measures could disproportionately impact Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom have lived in India for generations.

At the same time, not all Bangladeshi migrants face the same outcome. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) draws a distinction based on religion, allowing Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Bangladesh who entered India before December 31, 2014, to apply for fast-tracked citizenship. A BJP government in the state is expected to accelerate this process, particularly for communities such as the Matua and Namasudra, which are considered important voter groups.

In contrast, Muslim migrants from Bangladesh fall outside the scope of the CAA. For them, a BJP victory could mean increased scrutiny, detention, and potential deportation. Analysts suggest that coordination between the state government and central border agencies may intensify, potentially leading to more frequent enforcement actions.

The issue has also raised concerns beyond India’s borders. Some Bangladeshi leaders have warned that large-scale deportations could create pressure on their country’s capacity to absorb returnees. NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain has described the possibility as a potential refugee crisis.

Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal

On the legal front, the BJP has also promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal within six months of taking office. While the party has not explicitly committed to a full-scale update of the National Register of Citizens, its broader stance on immigration suggests that such measures could remain under consideration.

As the political landscape shifts, the debate highlights sharply different futures for different communities, making immigration one of the most closely watched issues in the state’s evolving electoral outcome.

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