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KOLKATA: With only a few months to go before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections , the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is launching a State-wide outreach centred on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019. The party plans to organise over 1,000 camps to help Hindu refugees from Bangladesh and neighbouring countries apply for Indian citizenship under the law.

Senior leaders describe the drive as a “mass awareness and facilitation campaign” aligned with the Election Commission’s forthcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The initiative is designed to extend legal assistance to eligible refugees while strengthening the BJP’s grassroots contact in districts bordering Bangladesh.

According to party insiders, the CAA camps will be concentrated in districts adjoining Bangladesh notably North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Cooch Behar, and Uttar Dinajpur which have long hosted large communities of Hindu refugees. Smaller clusters of camps will also be set up across other districts to reach dispersed populations.

“The demography has changed in several border districts. Refugees have lived for decades without citizenship. We want them to know that BJP stands by them,” said state BJP president and Barrackpore MP Samik Bhattacharya. He noted that CAA implementation had been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but that the organisation was now fully prepared. “Now that the rules are in place, we are ready to reach every eligible applicant,” he added.

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Party preparations intensified soon after Diwali and Kali Puja. Earlier this week, senior functionaries including BJP national general secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santosh presided over a workshop in Kolkata to train state and district leaders, volunteers, and representatives of allied and “apolitical” organisations. The workshop covered legal formalities, document requirements, and strategies to counter what the party describes as “misinformation” surrounding the Act. “Our trainees will now return to districts and help applicants prepare documents and forms before the SIR begins,” a senior leader said.

Party officials admit that apprehension persists among many refugee families, particularly in border areas. “People are afraid of being branded as infiltrators or sent to detention centres,” said a BJP organiser. “Our priority is to ensure they feel secure and understand that the CAA only grants citizenship; it does not take it away”. Door-to-door campaigns and community-level meetings are being planned to explain eligibility rules and reassure families. Volunteers trained at the workshops will help residents fill out digital forms, scan or photocopy documents, and submit applications online. Camps will also coordinate with local authorities to arrange basic infrastructure such as electricity and internet facilities.

The BJP views North 24-Parganas and Nadia—home to large Matua settlements—as the epicentre of its campaign. The Matuas, a Scheduled Caste community that migrated from Bangladesh, have long backed the CAA. Yet party insiders acknowledge that delays in implementation have created frustration among sections of the community.

Asim Sarkar, BJP MLA from Haringhata and convenor of the state refugee cell, said the upcoming effort was “both logistical and emotional”. “CAA is a Lakshman Rekha for persecuted Hindus. This movement began in Thakurnagar in 2004 and will now reach its intended goal,” he said. Sarkar added that public awareness drives, including local microphone broadcasts, would soon begin across refugee-dense constituencies.

The timing of the CAA push has triggered renewed debate. With the Election Commission expected to begin the electoral roll revision soon, political observers view the BJP’s citizenship outreach as an exercise with potential electoral consequences. Party leaders privately admit that the move could help consolidate Hindu votes ahead of the polls.

According to internal assessments, the CAA camps serve a dual purpose: expanding the party’s base in refugee-dominated localities and countering the Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s narrative on communal harmony. Leaders also said that the citizenship verification process could identify “illegal” immigrants living in border districts. “TMC has confused and misled Hindu refugees by suggesting the CAA will harm them,” said a BJP leader. “We are trying to rebuild confidence through these camps”.

The ruling TMC has repeatedly accused the BJP of communalising the citizenship issue ahead of elections. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that the CAA violates constitutional equality and pledged to oppose any religious discrimination. While citizenship is a Central subject, her repeated statements have resonated among minority groups and furnished the TMC with a counter-narrative.\

BJP leaders, in turn, claim the Trinamool Government’s stance has deprived persecuted Hindu refugees of formal recognition. “CAA is humanitarian, not political,” said Bhattacharya. “It offers dignity to people who have lived here for decades”.

Multiple community and religious outfits have extended support to the BJP’s campaign. These include the Matua Mahasangha, Harichand-Guruchand organisations, and several local Hindu volunteer clubs. Party officials say these collaborations are meant to “depoliticise the process and ensure that citizenship assistance remains community-driven”.