NEW DELHI — In a significant move ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday, March 2, 2026, notified the formation of two more Empowered Committees to accelerate the processing of citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This notification comes just ten days after the central government officially operationalized the CAA process through a gazetted notification, marking a rapid expansion of the administrative framework required to grant citizenship in the state.
The establishment of these additional committees is set against a backdrop of intense political friction between the Centre and the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government. The state administration has consistently opposed the CAA, labelling it discriminatory, while the Union government has moved to bypass potential state-level hurdles by appointing central officials to these committees. According to the MHA notification, each committee will be headed by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, nominated by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
The committees will also include representatives from the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and the Post Master General of West Bengal. By involving central agencies and the postal department, the MHA aims to create a streamlined application and verification process that operates independently of the state’s executive machinery. This development is expected to further polarize the political discourse in West Bengal as parties gear up for a high-stakes electoral battle where the implementation of the CAA remains a central and contentious issue.
