Massive Voter Roll Cleanup in West Bengal Continues as More Names Face Removal
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has moved into a decisive stage, with the hearing process over alleged inconsistencies concluding on Saturday.
Officials associated with the Election Commission indicated that nearly 4.98 lakh additional entries may be struck off the voters’ list because the individuals concerned failed to appear during verification proceedings.
In addition, scrutiny of documents submitted by those who did attend hearings has revealed that around 1.63 lakh people could lose their voting rights due to inadequate or invalid paperwork.
Large-scale deletions are already underway
The revision exercise has already seen significant changes. During the first phase, roughly 58 lakh names — close to 8% of the 7.66 crore registered voters in the 2025 roll — were removed on grounds such as migration, death, duplication, or prolonged absence.
Officials say the second phase has so far resulted in another 6.61 lakh deletions. Combined with the earlier phase, the total number of removals has reached approximately 64 lakh entries.
Verification of submitted documents will continue until February 21, and authorities expect further deletions before the final electoral roll is published on February 28.
Supreme Court backs verification exercise
Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court extended the deadline for the revision in the state and made it clear that the electoral verification process must proceed without obstruction.
Hearing petitions filed by a Trinamool Congress MP and others challenging the exercise, Chief Justice Surya Kant stated that while the court would issue clarifications if necessary, no interference with the ongoing revision would be permitted, emphasising that all states must cooperate with the process.
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