India, May 1 -- West Bengal-bound trains from various parts of India were packed as thousands of Bengali migrant workers headed home ahead of the Assembly polls held on April 23 and 29, 2026. Although the Railways introduced multiple special trains to ease the rush, many still struggled to secure tickets and instead turned to buses to reach their home state.

This surge among migrant workers to cast their votes appeared to be driven, first, by concerns over the Election Commission's contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Many feared that if they did not vote, their names could be removed from the electoral rolls, they might lose their jobs, or even be labelled as Bangladeshi nationals. Second, there was a strong desire among migran...