Bengal SIR redraws electoral map | Over 63L names deleted, about 60L under ‘adjudication’

Kolkata: In a sweeping electoral reset barely two months ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls, a staggering 63.66 lakh names, nearly 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted from the state voter list since the SIR began in November last year, slashing the voter base to over 7.04 crore and sharply redrawing Constituency arithmetic across Bengal.

The updated list is now online, allowing voters to check their status using their EPIC number, though technical glitches—already becoming synonymous with the SIR exercise—have once again surfaced.

According to official data, the total number of voters in the state now stands at 7,04,59,284. The earlier draft roll had included 7,08,16,630 names. During the revision process, 1,82,036 new voters were added through Form-6 applications, while another 6,671 names were included via Form-8.

However, the Commission clarified that a substantial portion of the roll remains provisional. Of the 7,04,59,284 names published, 60,06,675 voters have been placed in the “Under Judicial Review” or ‘Under Adjudication ‘ category, with scrutiny of these cases still underway. Further additions or deletions are likely once the verification process is completed.

State CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal said that 501 judicial officers are working for the adjudication of these 60 lakh voters, and all possible measures have been taken to complete the same as quickly as possible.

The first intensive revision of electoral rolls since 2002, the 116-day SIR began as a routine technical exercise but quickly transformed into a defining political moment, both numerically and symbolically reshaping Bengal’s electoral battlefield even before the 2026 campaign had officially begun.

According to the CEO’s office, the SIR exercise in West Bengal was announced on October 27 last year, when the electorate stood at 7,66,37,529.

Following the enumeration phase, a draft roll was published on December 16, which recorded the deletion of 58,20,899 names, bringing the total down to 7,08,16,630. This draft formed the basis of the final roll released on Saturday.

During scrutiny of the draft list, around 1.52 crore voters were identified for hearings. Of them, 31,68,426 were classified as “no-mapping” voters for failing to establish linkage with the previous SIR conducted in 2002. The remaining voters were flagged due to what the Commission described as “logical discrepancies” in their information. Hearings were conducted for nearly 1.42 crore voters. The ECI said it concurred with the decisions of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs in about 82 lakh cases. However, disputes arose over the remaining 60 lakh cases, with the Commission expressing dissatisfaction over certain decisions taken at the ERO and AERO levels. The Commission alleged that its appointed micro-observers had recorded contrary opinions in these instances.

The matter subsequently reached the Supreme Court, which appointed judges to oversee the verification and disposal of documents related to the pending 60 lakh voters.

The Commission stated that the names under judicial review would be published in phases until the last date of nomination for the upcoming Assembly elections. Although these voters currently appear in the roll, their status remains provisional and subject tfurther scrutiny.

Addressing concerns raised by political parties regarding procedural lapses in the SIR process, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal admitted that “some errors” had occurred but described them as minimal considering the scale of the exercise. He added that corrective measures had been taken wherever mistakes were identified.

The Commission further announced that the Assembly and booth-wise voter lists became available online from 5.30 pm on Saturday. Software-related issues had delayed uploads for two constituencies—Jadavpur and Bidhannagar, but the problem has since been resolved, Agarwal said. In the first phase of the final roll, voters have been categorised as “Approved,” “Deleted,” or “Under Judicial Review.”

The Commission also noted that nearly nine lakh applications were received through Form-6, primarily from first-time voters and individuals whose names were dropped from the draft roll. Agarwal said that interestingly, the male female ratio remained the same 1000: 956 when the SIR process was started, and now the final roll is being published.

With the Assembly polls approaching, the SIR has emerged as the first structured battle of the campaign—fought not through rallies, but through forms, hearings, and booth-level verification drives. Across districts, party cadres are scrutinising printed rolls, spotting “missing” supporters, and preparing appeals, turning the voter list itself into a frontline of contestation.

While the final shape of the electorate will hinge on upcoming adjudication proceedings, the post-SIR rolls have already reshaped Bengal’s electoral map—numerically, administratively, and politically—even before the first 2026 rally is officially flagged off.