In Bengal, Affected Voters Are Concentrated in Muslim-Majority, Migrant-Heavy and Competitive Seats
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Kolkata: The final list for West Bengal’s electoral rolls, after the special intensive revision (SIR) indicates that 1.21 crore electors, nearly one in six voters in the state, are currently categorised as either “deleted” or “under adjudication”.
The sheer scale of these revisions is unprecedented, and is reflected in a staggering reduction of the state’s total electorate. Before the SIR exercise began, the state’s total voter count stood at 7.66 crore (76,637,529). After the draft rolls were published on December 16, 2025, this figure plummeted to 7.08 crore (70,816,630). Following the final publication of the rolls on February 28, 2026, the current electorate has settled at 7.04 crore (70,459,284).
Compiled across all 294 assembly constituencies (ACs), the data shows that the volume of affected electors exceeds the most recent winning margin – of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls – in 234 constituencies. These numbers suggest that electoral roll revisions could have a material significance in a large proportion of seats, fundamentally shaping the competitive landscape of the state.
The SIR final list reveals that 61.7 lakh voters are marked as “deleted.” This single category makes up a massive chunk of the electorate’s shifting baseline. In 140 assembly segments, the number of deleted voters alone exceeds the 2024 Lok Sabha winning margin in the corresponding areas. While the aggregated data does not indicate the reasons behind each deletion or assign specific causes, the scale of these removals is substantial when viewed against recent, highly-contested electoral margins and the net drop of over 61 lakh voters from the pre-SIR baseline.
In addition to the outright deletions, 60.06 lakh electors (6,006,675) are marked as “under adjudication.” These voters are currently pending administrative review, meaning their final status on the voter roll remains unresolved despite the publication of the final list. If a voter’s name is still under adjudication, only a judicial officer can resolve the matter. If that fails, and unless a new process is created, they effectively become a “D-Voter” (Doubtful Voter) and cannot fill out Form 6 to re-register, as per electoral precedence established in Assam. Under current rules, only entirely new voters, or those who were explicitly marked “deleted” in the December draft or in the final roll, can submit a new Form 6. While doing so, they will need to establish a connection with the previous rolls or the 2002 SIR. A D-Voter, however, has to wait for a tribunal decision and cannot vote until they are cleared. Being placed under adjudication and then rejection will imply that a voter has exhausted their first round of legal avenues.
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