KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday released the final electoral roll for West Bengal following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the first such statewide exercise since 2002.
The process, which commenced on November 4, 2025, with distribution of enumeration forms, resulted in the deletion of 63,66,952 voters, while 1,82,036 new voters were added through Form 6 and 6A, and 6,671 via Form 8.
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal announced that West Bengal now has 7,54,59,284 registered voters, compared to 7,66,37,529 prior to the revision. The updated roll comprises 3,60,22,642 male voters, 3,44,35,260 female voters, and 1,382 third-gender voters. The draft roll, published on December 16, 2025, had listed 7,05,16,630 voters.
Agarwal stated that over 53 lakh enumeration forms were not received during the revision, including cases involving deceased, shifted and duplicate electors. He added that 5.46 lakh deletions were processed through Form-7, while 60,06,675 voters have been placed under adjudication but provisionally retained in the rolls pending verification.
The final rolls are being distributed booth-wise in hard copy to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), with one copy displayed at each polling station. Soft copies are being provided to representatives of the state’s eight recognized political parties, while hard copies are being shared with their Booth Level Agents (BLAs). Voters can verify their status using their name and EPIC details through official ECI portals and district election websites.
Political Focus on Bhabanipur: The revision has generated political attention ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, particularly in Bhabanipur, the South Kolkata constituency represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The constituency, which had 2,06,298 voters at the start of the SIR, saw 47,094 names deleted in the final roll—an increase from 44,786 in the draft—with another 14,154 under adjudication.
The deleted figure is approximately 11,000 less than Banerjee’s victory margin of over 58,000 votes in the 2021 bypoll.
Agarwal emphasized that the revision adhered strictly to ECI directives and described the electoral roll as a “final but dynamic,” given the ongoing adjudication process completed after 135 days of work.
Union Minister and former BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar welcomed the deletions, alleging that the exercise exposed irregularities in past voting patterns.
Responding, Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson of the All India Trinamool Congress, accused the BJP of politicising the revision process, asserting that voters would ultimately decide in the upcoming elections.
