Nine million voters removed from West Bengal electoral rolls amid political turmoil

Approximately nine million voters, representing about 12% of West Bengal's 76 million electorate, have been removed from the state's electoral rolls as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of the 2026 state elections.

This revision exercise aims to eliminate duplicate and outdated entries to ensure a more accurate voter list.

Among those removed is Muhammad Daud Ali, a former Indian army technician, whose name and those of his three children were struck off despite possessing valid documents such as passports and service records.

Only his wife remains on the electoral list.

Of the nine million removed, over six million were classified as absentee or deceased voters, while the status of approximately 2.7 million, including families like Ali's, is pending adjudication by special tribunals.

The Election Commission of India has stated that the revision is intended to maintain a "pure electoral roll" by excluding ineligible voters and including all eligible ones.

However, the process has sparked significant controversy and legal challenges, particularly in West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is engaged in a political standoff with the election authorities.

This issue is especially sensitive given West Bengal's location along India's 4,096-kilometer border with Bangladesh, which is largely porous and partly riverine.

The state also has India's second-largest Muslim population, accounting for roughly 14% of the national Muslim demographic.

Political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have suggested that the revision targets "illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators," a term the TMC argues is being used to refer to Muslims, though many Hindu voters have also been excluded.

The SIR process has been conducted in thirteen states and federally-administered territories, but West Bengal is unique in having an additional layer of special adjudication following the revision.

This has intensified the political dispute surrounding the exercise.

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