The draft electoral roll for West Bengal has been published, with 58,20,899 voter names deleted so far. According to available data, the deletions include: deceased voters: 24.16 lakh (3.15 per cent),
shifted or absent voters: 32.65 lakh (4.26 per cent), and voters enrolled at multiple locations: 1.38 lakh (0.18 per cent).
Most of these deletions relate to cases where verification forms were not returned, or where voters were reported to be deceased, shifted to another location, absent, or duplicated in the electoral rolls.
The highest percentage of deletions has been recorded in Kolkata North, where 25 per cent of voter names have been removed from the draft rolls.
At the constituency level, Chowringhee has recorded the highest number of deletions, with more than 74,000 voter names removed. In percentage terms, Jorasanko has seen a particularly high level of deletions, with over 36 per cent of voters removed from the draft roll.
In absolute numbers, the largest number of deletions has been reported from South 24 Parganas, where more than eight lakh voter names have been deleted, followed by North 24 Parganas, with over seven lakh deletions.
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said that no valid voter would be deleted. He clarified that if anyone is called for a hearing, there is no reason to be apprehensive. Voters can present their documents during the hearing, and if their claim is rejected, they have the option to appeal.
The Election Commission has also identified more than one crore residents of the state whose status as valid voters cannot be fully confirmed. There are doubts regarding the authenticity of the information provided by these voters. As required, they may be summoned for hearings, during which their details will be verified. If the Commission is not satisfied after the hearing, their names may be removed from the electoral rolls.
Data on the top 10 deletion-prone areas has been shared separately.
An analysis of data on uncollectable electoral forms across selected Assembly constituencies in Kolkata North, Kolkata South, and Howrah indicates that deletions are primarily linked to death, untraceable or absent voters, permanent migration, multiple enrolments, and other reasons.
Kolkata North dominates the list, accounting for six of the nine constituencies analysed. Key contributors include:
- Jorasanko: 72,899 uncollectable forms (highest overall)
- Chowringhee: 74,510 uncollectable forms (highest in absolute numbers)
- Beleghata: High death-related deletions (8.62 per cent) and permanent migration (10.53 per cent)
In Howrah Uttar, 26.96 per cent of forms were uncollectable, with a notably high proportion attributed to permanent migration (11.57 per cent).
In Kolkata South, Kolkata Port recorded 26.17 per cent uncollectable forms (constituency of Firhad Hakim with huge minority dominance), while Ballygunge reported 25.54 per cent. Both constituencies show a balanced spread between death, untraceable voters, and permanent migration.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a special meeting with booth-level agents of her own constituency, Bhabanipur. Sources told CNN-News18 that she directed party workers to verify the reasons behind the deletion of voter names.
According to sources, the Chief Minister told the meeting, “It is being learnt that 44,000 names have been deleted. Recheck all the deleted names thoroughly. Conduct a scrutiny to ascertain why each name has been removed. Verify the deletions party by party.”
She further instructed workers to:
- Stand by voters during hearings
- Provide all assistance at neighbourhood-level camps
- Take those facing documentation issues to “May I Help You” camps
- Extend door-to-door assistance if required
- Ensure that no valid voter’s name is deleted
Sources added that coordination between Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) was also discussed. Many BLAs said they had visited all households, but in some cases where forms were not returned, the situation could not be fully assessed.
It was decided that visits would be conducted to every household where names have been deleted, checks would be carried out to ensure that living persons have not been wrongly marked as deceased, and special attention would be paid to multi-storeyed buildings.
