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The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday released the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal, identifying over 58 lakh voter names for deletion following the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The release signals the end of the enumeration phase and sets the stage for claims, objections, and hearings by affected voters.
According to the ECI, a total of 58,20,898 names have been flagged for removal. This includes approximately 24,16,852 voters listed as deceased, 19,88,076 voters who have shifted or migrated, 12,20,038 missing voters, and 1,38,328 entries classified as duplicate, false, or bogus. Another 57,604 names are proposed for deletion under “other reasons.”
Voters whose names have been removed can submit claims using Form 6, accompanied by relevant documents.
The SIR exercise, conducted in three phases, began in West Bengal on December 4 and concluded on December 11. The second phase will continue until February 2026, with the final voters’ list scheduled for release on February 14, 2026, ahead of the state assembly elections.
The process has been contentious. Reports indicate a significant exodus of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and protests by booth-level officers (BLOs) over tight timelines and work pressure.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) claimed that nearly 40 election officials died during the exercise, criticizing the central government and the ECI for allegedly attempting to manipulate the voter list.
TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has vocally opposed the SIR process, warning that her government would not allow voters to be removed from the rolls. At a recent rally, she urged citizens to protest if their names were deleted, saying, “If your name gets deleted, the central government should also be deleted.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, countered that Banerjee’s criticism was intended to protect her vote bank, which the party alleges includes illegal immigrants.
Apart from West Bengal, the SIR exercise is also being conducted in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh to remove ineligible voters from the rolls nationwide.