BJP Claims Voter Roll Clean-Up Will Alter Bengal Politics as Over 58 Lakh Names Marked for Deletion

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday claimed that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has uncovered large-scale irregularities, asserting that the exercise could significantly impact the political landscape of the state ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

Reacting to the deletion of over 58 lakh names from the draft voter list, BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has benefited in past elections from votes cast in the names of deceased, duplicate, shifted, and allegedly illegal voters. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Malviya said the SIR exercise had exposed how flawed voter records were “exploited” to keep Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in power.

According to Malviya, a large number of deletions were recorded in the Kolkata region, traditionally considered a stronghold of the TMC. He claimed this indicated the presence of absent, migrated, and duplicate entries that had previously influenced electoral outcomes.

“This time, genuine voters will decide West Bengal’s future,” Malviya said, adding that the opportunity for misuse of electoral rolls has now been closed.

The BJP leader further stated that around 30 lakh voter entries remain unmapped and claimed that an additional 1.7 crore voters may receive notices seeking clarification over discrepancies in their records during subsequent phases of the revision process.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently published the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal following the first phase of the three-stage SIR exercise. With the release of the draft list, the process has entered the claims and objections phase, during which voters whose names have been flagged or removed can submit representations for correction or inclusion.

As per official data released by the ECI, a total of 58,20,898 voter names have been identified for deletion. This includes 24,16,852 deceased voters, 19,88,076 voters who have permanently shifted or migrated, 12,20,038 missing voters, and 1,38,328 duplicate or bogus entries. An additional 57,604 names were proposed for deletion under other categories. Affected voters can submit claims using Form 6, supported by valid documentation.

The SIR exercise will continue until February 2026, with the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on February 14, 2026, ahead of the high-stakes Assembly elections.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly opposed the voter list revision, alleging that the BJP and the Election Commission are attempting to manipulate the electoral process. The TMC has maintained that the exercise could disenfranchise genuine voters and has demanded greater transparency in the revision process.