No. of women voters drop to 3.16 cr to 3.73 cr, alleges Mamata
Kolkata: Apprehensions within the ruling party that the BJP might target women voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) appear to have gained ground, with the number of women voters dropping sharply to 3.16 crore from 3.73 crore in 2024.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has alleged that married women were disproportionately placed under adjudication due to changes in surname and address after marriage. “After marriage, women often change their title and address. This is why a large number of women were put in adjudication. This is their fault. Names of many tribal people from Burdwan and Basirhat were removed,” she said at a rally.
Data placed by the Centre in the Lok Sabha shows that the number of women voters in West Bengal has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. Just before the SIR, the rolls recorded 969 women for every 1,000 men — a historic high. In the list published on March 28, the ratio declined to 964, according to figures shared by the Union Law and Justice Minister.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said the number of women voters rose from 3.59 crore in 2021 to 3.73 crore in 2024, before falling to 3.16 crore in 2026. Political observers note that the TMC has long benefited from women voters, with Banerjee attracting support particularly from marginalised sections.
The Chief Minister has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission of India of targeting women voters, calling the BJP “misogynistic”.
Women still constitute nearly half of the electorate. Citing the 2021 Assembly results, which showed a gender tilt towards the ruling party, the TMC alleged the exercise was a deliberate attempt by the BJP and its “associate”, the Election Commission, to impact women voters. The party also highlighted its record of ensuring around 37 per cent representation for women in Parliament, and pointed to the “Lakshmir Bhandar” scheme as a major socio-economic intervention benefiting crores of women.
