Thousands of migrant workers from West Bengal, employed across India’s major cities and industrial hubs, are returning to their home state to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections, driven largely by fear that not voting could jeopardise their voter status, access to welfare schemes, or even their citizenship.
With polling scheduled in two phases on April 23 and April 29, a large number of workers—including domestic helps, nannies, cooks, and factory labourers—are leaving cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and industrial clusters such as Khurja. Many are undertaking long and uncertain journeys, often without confirmed train tickets, arranging buses, or travelling in overcrowded compartments, even at the cost of losing income or employment.
The urgency stems from a widespread perception among migrant communities that failing to vote this time could result in their names being removed from electoral rolls. Some also fear losing eligibility for government welfare schemes or, in extreme cases, their citizenship. While these fears are not substantiated by official rules, they have gained traction due to recent developments and political messaging.
A key factor contributing to this anxiety is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise aimed at cleaning up voter lists. For many workers, the effort they previously invested in getting their names included in electoral rolls has made voting feel like a necessary step to “secure” their identity within the system. The issue has been further amplified by political narratives around citizenship and voter rights in the state.
Statements by leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, warning about potential threats to voting rights and linking them to broader concerns such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC), have intensified these fears. At the same time, political discourse around alleged illegal immigration and voter list irregularities has added to the uncertainty among migrant populations, particularly in border districts.
The impact of this reverse migration is being felt across multiple sectors in urban centres. Households in cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Jaipur are facing a shortage of domestic workers, while online service platforms are reporting reduced availability of bookings. In industrial hubs such as Khurja, where ceramic factories rely heavily on workers from West Bengal, operations are expected to slow down or temporarily shut due to labour shortages.
Mumbai’s Zaveri Bazaar, a major jewellery manufacturing hub, is also witnessing significant disruption. A large proportion of artisans, many of whom are from West Bengal, have already left or are planning to leave for voting, affecting production and business continuity.
For many of these workers, voting has gone beyond a civic duty and has become closely tied to their sense of identity and security. Despite the financial and logistical challenges, they are prioritising participation in the election as a way to ensure they remain visible within the system and retain their perceived rights and entitlements.
The situation highlights how electoral processes, administrative exercises, and political messaging can directly influence the behaviour of migrant populations, while also exposing the dependence of urban economies on the unorganised workforce.
