Kolkata: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal concluded on Tuesday after 155 days, resulting in the removal of approximately 90.8 lakh voters—nearly 12% of the state’s original 7.6 crore electorate—from the 2026 voter list.
A significant portion of these deletions—over 63 lakh—occurred during the first phase, which targeted absent, deceased, and relocated voters. The remaining 27 lakh names were struck off in the second, more controversial phase, which flagged “logical discrepancies” in voter records. This phase scrutinised factors such as spelling inconsistencies and unusual family data, affecting over 60 lakh voters, whose cases were reviewed by judicial officers. Ultimately, about 27 lakh were deemed ineligible.
Several districts saw substantial reductions in voter numbers, particularly Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas, Malda, South 24 Parganas, and East Burdwan. Notably, some of these regions have significant minority populations.
In Kolkata, around 39,000 out of 61,000 voters under review in the North district were removed, while over 28,000 were deleted in the South district following adjudication.
All individuals removed from the rolls will be ineligible to vote in the 2026 assembly elections. The electoral list for the first phase—covering 152 constituencies—has already been finalised, with around 14.3 lakh voters excluded. The second phase, spanning 142 constituencies, will see its rolls frozen on April 9, with about 12.9 lakh deletions recorded.
District-wise, North 24 Parganas reported the highest number of deletions (12.6 lakh), followed by South 24 Parganas (10.9 lakh) and Murshidabad (7.5 lakh), all of which share borders with Bangladesh.
While the Supreme Court has permitted those removed after judicial scrutiny to appeal before tribunals, these bodies are yet to become operational. The matter is scheduled for hearing again on April 13, offering a limited window of recourse for affected voters.
Overall, Kolkata alone is expected to have nearly seven lakh fewer voters compared to 2024, reflecting the broader impact of the revision exercise across the state.
