West Bengal Voter Roll Revision Sparks Political Dispute

The publication of revised electoral rolls in the Indian state of West Bengal has led to political controversy after more than six million voter names were removed and another six million placed under scrutiny following a statewide verification exercise.

The Election Commission of India said that 63.66 lakh, or 6.366 million, names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), while 60.06 lakh electors were marked as “under adjudication”, meaning their eligibility is still being examined by judicial officers.

High scrutiny numbers in border districts

According to data released with the final rolls, the districts of Murshidabad and Malda recorded the highest number of voters whose documents remain under adjudication.

Murshidabad accounts for 11.01 lakh voters in this category, followed by Malda with 8.28 lakh. Both districts share an international border with Bangladesh and have significant Muslim populations, according to India’s 2011 Census.

Other districts along the India–Bangladesh border also feature prominently. North 24 Parganas has 5.91 lakh voters under adjudication, South 24 Parganas has 5.22 lakh, and Uttar Dinajpur has 4.80 lakh.

Beyond these areas, pending cases were reported in Purba Bardhaman (3.65 lakh), Howrah (2.89 lakh), Nadia (2.67 lakh) and Birbhum (2.02 lakh). By contrast, the hill district of Kalimpong and the forested district of Jhargram recorded fewer than 7,000 voters each in the same category.

Election Commission officials said electors marked “under adjudication” have been retained in the rolls while verification continues. The scrutiny process, overseen by judicial officers, will proceed even after the publication of the final list, with supplementary rolls to be issued if required.

“Any correction or deletion will be made only after due inquiry,” an official said.

Electorate shrinks by more than eight per cent

The 116-day Special Intensive Revision, which began in November, is the first such comprehensive revision in West Bengal since 2002.

Before the exercise began, the state had approximately 7.66 crore registered voters. Following the revision, the total electorate now stands at just over 7.04 crore, representing a reduction of 8.30 per cent.

A draft roll published in December had already removed more than 58 lakh names, citing reasons such as death, migration, duplication or voters being untraceable. After claims and objections were processed, an additional 5.46 lakh names were deleted through formal applications, known as Form-7 submissions.

According to the Commission’s figures, the combined deletions linked to the revision total 63.66 lakh names.

Political response

The revised rolls have prompted criticism from the Trinamool Congress, the party governing West Bengal.

Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress and a Member of Parliament, alleged that the scale of deletions had been predetermined. Speaking at a press conference after the first phase of post-revision rolls was released, he claimed that opposition leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party had publicly referred to the removal of more than one crore names before the process began.

“The target of deleting over one crore voters in West Bengal was decided even before SIR commenced,” he said. “If you add the deletions and those put under adjudication, the number corresponds closely to the figure of 1.2 crore.”

He argued that the Election Commission was acting in line with those statements, an allegation the Commission has not publicly responded to.

Mr Banerjee further accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of attempting to influence the outcome of the forthcoming state assembly elections by removing what he described as genuine voters from the rolls.

He also announced that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would hold a protest on 6 March against what he termed “arbitrary deletions” under the revision process.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has previously said that voter list revisions are necessary to remove ineligible names and ensure accurate electoral rolls.

Wider implications

The dispute comes months before West Bengal is due to hold its next legislative assembly elections, a vote closely watched in Indian national politics.

Electoral roll revisions are routine in India, but large-scale deletions or significant changes to voter numbers often draw political scrutiny, particularly in border states where migration and documentation issues can be sensitive topics.

The Election Commission maintains that the Special Intensive Revision was conducted according to established procedures and that no eligible voter will be excluded without due process. Officials have said that those placed under adjudication will have their cases reviewed individually.

As the adjudication process continues, further updates to the electoral rolls are expected in the coming weeks, potentially shaping the political debate ahead of the state’s next election.