More than 351,000 claims have been filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the West Bengal electoral roll following the publication of a draft on December 16, 2025, according to officials.
Voter Roll Revisions Spark Debate
The claims include 313,034 requests for inclusion of names (form 6) and 38,778 requests for deletion of names (form 7). This surge in claims comes after approximately 5.8 million names identified as belonging to deceased, duplicate, absent, or shifted voters were removed from the draft roll. An additional 3.2 million voters were initially flagged as “unmapped.”
The ECI has issued hearing notices to around seven million voters identified as unmapped or with logical discrepancies. Political parties have also submitted claims, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) submitting three, the CPI(M) submitting two, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and All India Forward Bloc each submitting one.
Concerns Raised Over Alleged Deletions
The process has drawn criticism from the TMC, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sending five letters to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressing concerns about the alleged deletion of “genuine voters.” Banerjee has specifically alleged that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in digitizing the 2002 SIR database has led to inaccuracies and the misclassification of eligible voters.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has publicly presented individuals who he claims were incorrectly identified as deceased in the draft roll – ten people in Cooch Behar and three in South 24 Parganas. He also stated that the ECI’s decision not to disclose the names of deleted voters has hampered the filing of objections.
However, a senior poll panel official stated that constituency-wise lists of absent, shifted, dead, and duplicate (ASDD) voters were published on the ECI’s website in December 2025. BJP legislator Shankar Ghosh countered the TMC’s claims, asserting that the individuals identified as deceased were likely already on the published ASDD lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
The SIR is a process undertaken by the ECI to update the electoral roll, including the inclusion of new voters, deletion of deceased or shifted voters, and correction of errors.
What forms are used for voter roll revisions?
Form 6 is used for inclusion of names, and Form 7 is used for deletion of names, according to officials.
How many voters were initially flagged with discrepancies?
The ECI initially found around 16.7 million voters who had logical discrepancies in their enumeration forms, but this number was later reduced to around 9.4 million after scrutiny.
As the ECI continues to process claims and objections, it is possible that further revisions to the electoral roll will be made. The outcome of these revisions could significantly impact the political landscape in West Bengal. It remains to be seen how the ECI will address the concerns raised by the TMC and other parties, and whether additional measures will be taken to ensure the accuracy and transparency of the voter roll.
