The Election Commission of India has published the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal after completing a month-long Special Intensive Revision exercise, a move that can spark a fresh political debate
in the state.
Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, the Commission has removed around 58 lakh names from the draft voter list as part of the revision aimed at cleaning up the rolls and removing errors and duplicate entries. The scale of the deletions is expected to draw strong political reactions in the coming days.
According to official figures, about 24 lakh voters were marked as deceased, while 19 lakh were shown as having relocated to other areas. Another 12 lakh names were categorised as missing, and nearly 1.3 lakh were flagged as duplicate entries. The Election Commission said the exercise was carried out to improve accuracy and credibility of the voter list, though opposition parties are likely to closely scrutinise the process and its findings.
The Commission said the exercise was carried out to ensure accuracy and remove duplicate or ineligible entries from the rolls.
Draft Electoral Roll is published today. Do not miss out on checking your name in the draft Voter List.#SIR #DraftVoterList@ECISVEEP @SpokespersonECI @PIBKolkata @AIRKolkata pic.twitter.com/mxzCRungQS
— CEO West Bengal (@CEOWestBengal) December 16, 2025 " rel="nofollow">http://Draft Electoral Roll is published today.
Do not miss out on checking your name in the draft Voter List.#SIR #DraftVoterList@ECISVEEP @SpokespersonECI @PIBKolkata @AIRKolkata pic.twitter.com/mxzCRungQS— CEO West Bengal (@CEOWestBengal) December 16, 2025
Voters whose names are missing or marked for deletion can file claims and objections within the prescribed period. The Election Commission has urged citizens to check the draft rolls carefully to avoid being left out ahead of future elections.
West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, carried out ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, has flagged over 58 lakh voters for possible exclusion. The Election Commission said the names were marked due to reasons such as deaths, duplicate entries, change of residence or long absence from the constituency.
