Kolkata: Urban and peri-urban areas of West Bengal account for over one-third of the voters’ names deleted from the draft electoral rolls published on Tuesday, despite these regions occupying a smaller share of the state’s total geographical area.
District-wise data of the Election Commission (EC) on uncollectable forms show that the highest concentration of deletions has been in and around the greater Kolkata region—Kolkata (including north and south), North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and Howrah.
During the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), 58.2 lakh names, or 7.6 per cent of the state’s total electorate of around 7.66 crore, were categorised as uncollectible. Of these, nearly 22.7 lakh deletions—about 39 per cent of the state total—are confined to the four districts forming the Kolkata urban agglomeration. Kolkata alone recorded over 2.16 lakh uncollectable forms, accounting for nearly 24 per cent of its electorate, the highest proportion in the state. Chowringhee, Jorasanko and Kolkata Port emerged as the worst affected constituencies, with the share of deleted names crossing 30 per cent.
In South 24-Parganas, more than 8.18 lakh names were marked uncollectable, amounting to about 9.5 per cent of the electorate. Urban and peri-urban seats such as Kasba (18 per cent), Jadavpur (17.47 per cent), Behala East (17.03 per cent) and Behala West (16.5 per cent) reported significantly higher deletions than rural pockets.
North 24-Parganas saw over 7.9 lakh uncollectable forms, around 9.5 per cent of its electorate. Bhatpara (20.42 per cent), Barrackpore (19 per cent), Bidhannagar (18.17 per cent) and Noapara (13.38 per cent) were among the worst affected. Howrah district also emerged as a hotspot, with around 4.47 lakh names deleted, nearly 11 per cent of its total electorate. An EC official attributed the trend to high migration in cities and industrial belts.
“People frequently change residences or leave without updating electoral details.
Many migrant workers lack stable addresses, making verification difficult,” the official said, adding that deletions are not permanent and affected voters can file claims with valid documents within the stipulated period.