The Election Commission of India (ECI) has published the final electoral roll for the West Bengal Voter List, revealing a significant deletion of 6.18 million names. This follows a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that lasted nearly four months, leaving 70.46 million voters eligible. Another six million names remain under scrutiny due to a controversial ‘logical discrepancy’ category, with their status being adjudicated by 500 judicial officers.
The Supreme Court had ordered the ECI to release the final rolls by February 28, 2026, while allowing for supplementary rolls post-adjudication. West Bengal is unique in implementing such a provision, first introduced in Bihar in June 2025. The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal has referred nearly six million cases for judicial review, with Murshidabad and Malda districts having the highest numbers under adjudication.
If none of the pending cases are resolved in favor of the electors, the net deletion rate would be 15.9%, the highest in India after the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Half of the adjudicated cases leading to deletion would result in a 12% net deletion, while no deletions would place West Bengal sixth among 11 states and UTs involved in the SIR process.
The voter list’s gender ratio remains unchanged, and significant deletions have been noted in Kolkata, Paschim Bardhaman, and Darjeeling. Some assembly constituencies have seen a net increase in voter count, including Metiabruz and Jadavpur in South 24 Parganas.
Political tensions have risen, with the Trinamool Congress accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of voter suppression, while the BJP claims the SIR will prevent fraudulent voting. The outcome of these adjudications and their impact on the upcoming 2026 assembly elections remain to be seen.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, March 1st, 2026
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