Kolkata: Nearly 91 lakh voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls in West Bengal following the Special Intensive Revision exercise in the state, according to data released by the Election Commission.
The poll panel is yet to officially announce the final voter base for the state after the roll revision process.
From the available figures, however, the total deletion in the state at this point, based on the 7.66 crore electors identified at the end of October last year, stands at over 11.85 per cent.
Initial figures published on February 28 showed that 63.66 lakh names, about 8.3% of the electorate, had been deleted since the revision began in November, bringing the voter base down from 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore. This total included more than 60.06 lakh voters marked as “under adjudication.”
Subsequent scrutiny by judicial officers led to the deletion of over 27.16 lakh of these disputed entries, while around 32.68 lakh were retained and added to the final rolls.
Overall, total deletions during the SIR process now stand at approximately 90.83 lakh.
The Election Commission said the revision was conducted in a “phased and transparent manner,” with district-wise data made public to ensure accountability.
Data for 59.84 lakh of the 60.06 lakh adjudication cases has been published, while the remaining 22,163 cases have been processed but are awaiting e-signatures. Officials noted that minor changes in figures may occur once procedural formalities are completed.
With the release of the final supplementary list, the electoral rolls for the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections have been frozen as per norms. Of the state’s 294 seats, 152 will go to polls on April 23, while the remaining 142 seats will vote on April 29. Rolls for the second phase will be frozen on April 9.
Election officials confirmed that no further additions to the voter list will be made at this stage. Any changes will depend on legal provisions or directions from competent authorities, including the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter on April 13.
