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with Bangladesh, and several of them have been pending for over five years...” Jaiswal said.

He further added, “We expect Bangladesh to expedite nationality verification so that the repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place smoothly.”

The MEA spokesperson noted that the repatriation of “illegal” Bangladeshi immigrants would require cooperation from Dhaka.

The development comes just three days after the BJP registered a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 207 seats in the 294-member House.

The issue of illegal infiltration was among the BJP’s key poll planks in Bengal. The saffron party had vowed to stop infiltration by ensuring fencing along the Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

The party had also promised to identify illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in the state and deport them to Bangladesh.