Kolkata: The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal began on Tuesday, with 2,45,71,114 voters — 32.06 per cent of the state’s total electorate — successfully verified through a mapping exercise.
Bengal currently has 7,66,37,529 registered voters spread across 294 Assembly constituencies.
An official in the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office said the mapping process involves cross-verifying names in the latest electoral roll with those in the 2002 SIR list — the last such exercise in the state. It also checks for familial links, such as whether the parents of a present voter existed in the earlier list. Those whose details match are automatically verified and need not submit documents during the current revision, while others will have to undergo document verification.
Bengal has recorded a 65.8 per cent increase in its voter count since 2002 — one of the highest among major Indian states. According to Election Commission data, the number of voters has risen from 4.58 crore in 2002 to 7.66 crore in 2024.
“An increase of around 48 to 50 per cent is considered normal. Bengal’s growth is much above that,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
In comparison, voter growth in other large states has been far lower — Uttar Pradesh (39.1 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (47.2 per cent), Maharashtra (44.8 per cent), Bihar (50.3 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (18.8 per cent).
Poll officials attributed Bengal’s unusually high rise to the failure to delete the names of deceased and migrated voters rather than demographic expansion. During the last intensive revision in 2002, over 28 lakh names were deleted.
The exercise has, however, sparked political controversy. The BJP has linked the surge to the alleged inclusion of “illegal infiltrators” from Bangladesh through border districts such as Bongaon, Rajarhat-Gopalpur, Barasat and Nadia. The party has demanded a stringent clean-up, particularly in areas where voter numbers have reportedly jumped 16–18 per cent.
The Trinamool Congress, led by its chairperson Mamata Banerjee, has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Mamata has compared the SIR process to the NRC-like drive in Bihar, warning that Bengal could be the “actual target.”
The Election Commission has appointed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from Group C or higher state employees to ensure accountability during the revision. BLOs began visiting electors’ homes with enumeration forms from Tuesday. The Commission has assured that no legitimate voter will be deleted in the clean-up.