West Bengal Voter List Cleansed Ahead of 2026 Elections: 58 Lakh Names to Be Removed, Political Storm Brews

KalimNews, Kolkata, December 12, 2025: In a major move ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that approximately 58.8 lakh names are set to be removed from the state’s voter list. This is part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process being carried out to clean up and update the electoral rolls ahead of the crucial polls scheduled for early next year. 

According to the latest data, as of Thursday, a total of 58,08,002 names are likely to be deleted, marking a significant revision of the state’s voter rolls. The deletion figures come amidst growing political tension and controversy surrounding the exercise, with opposition parties, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC), and BJP leaders both accusing each other of political manipulation.

The ECI’s ongoing revision has revealed the following key findings: 24,18,699 deceased voters, 12,01,462 untraceable voters, and 19,93,087 voters who have changed addresses. These voters will have their names removed from multiple voter lists, and their records updated to reflect their correct address. Furthermore, 1,37,575 names have been flagged as fraudulent, with another 57,509 individuals categorised under the ‘others’ category.

The Special Intensive Revision process, which began on November 4 with the distribution of enumeration forms, has now concluded its verification phase, with the final draft of the voter list set to be published on December 16. This will be followed by a hearing process for any grievances raised, with the final list to be released on February 14, 2026.

The deletions have sparked a political firestorm, with Mamata Banerjee and her allies accusing the Election Commission of bias. Banerjee has repeatedly targeted the ECI and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that the exercise is politically motivated and will disenfranchise voters, particularly those who support the TMC. At a rally in Bongaon last month, Banerjee made an impassioned plea to her supporters, warning that any attempts to target the TMC in Bengal would be met with resistance, and she vowed to "shake the foundation" of political adversaries across the country.

On the other hand, the BJP has accused Banerjee of deliberately stoking unrest over the voter list revision. BJP leaders have pointed to the significant number of suspected fraudulent voters, with some alleging that many of these individuals are either illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or members of other communities who should not be on the voter rolls. Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari, a senior BJP leader, has gone as far as claiming that over 1 crore fake voters could be in the state, adding that many of them have been allegedly included with the help of block development officers (BDOs) and booth-level officers (BLOs). Adhikari demanded that these fraudulent names be purged and that "illegal immigrants" be deported.

In addition to the political wrangling, the ECI has now released detailed constituency-wise data showing the extent of the deletions across West Bengal. Notably, Bhabanipur, the constituency held by Mamata Banerjee, saw 44,787 deletions, nearly four times the number removed from Nandigram, represented by BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, which recorded just 10,599 deletions. This discrepancy has intensified accusations of political bias, with both the TMC and BJP questioning the fairness of the revision process.

Reports stated Kolkata Port, held by senior TMC minister Firhad Hakim, witnessed the highest number of deletions, with 63,730 names removed. Other prominent TMC constituencies, such as Tollygunge (held by minister Aroop Biswas), saw 35,309 deletions. However, the revisions were not confined to TMC-held seats. Several constituencies held by BJP legislators, including Asansol South (represented by Agnimitra Paul) with 39,202 deletions and Siliguri (represented by Shankar Ghosh) with 31,181 deletions, also saw significant voter removals.

The district-level breakdown of deletions further underscores the scale of the revision process. South 24 Parganas, a Trinamool stronghold, recorded the highest number of deletions in the state, with 8,16,047 names removed. In contrast, more sparsely populated constituencies like Kotulpur in Bankura saw fewer deletions, with just 5,678 names removed.

Despite the broad sweep of the revisions, the deletions have raised concerns over the accuracy of the voter list, with critics alleging discrepancies in the house-to-house verification process. These concerns are likely to intensify as the draft voter list is published on December 16, 2025, with political parties on both sides expected to raise objections. The discrepancies in the deletions across constituencies will only fuel further debates and could result in a fresh round of political battles over the integrity of the voter list.

The Special Intensive Revision process, part of the Election Commission's broader effort to update and maintain accurate voter rolls, began on October 28 in 12 states and union territories. It has included adding new names, correcting errors, and removing voters who are deceased, have shifted their residence, or have been identified as duplicates or fraudulent.

Though the Election Commission has clarified that this process is intended to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls, the timing and scale of the deletions have been controversial. In response to criticism, the ECI has stated that it remains committed to transparency and fairness and has promised to address any complaints raised by political parties or individuals.

The revised final voter list is set to be released on February 14, 2026, after the hearing process is concluded. As political tensions continue to rise, it remains to be seen how the final list will impact the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, as well as the broader political landscape in the state.