West Bengal polls: Nearly 91 lakh names deleted after SIR exercise

Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, nearly 91 lakh names have been deleted from the state’s electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, according to data released by the Election Commission of India.Despite completing the revision process, the poll body is yet to announce the final revised voter count. Officials said the exercise was conducted in a phased and transparent manner, with district-wise data placed in the public domain to ensure accountability.“Any further inclusion at this stage will be subject to legal provisions and directions, if any, from competent authorities,” a senior Election Commission official said.

STORY | Nearly 91 lakh names deleted from Bengal electoral rolls after SIR exercise

Nearly 91 lakh voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls in West Bengal following the Special Intensive Revision exercise in the state, according to data released by the Election… pic.twitter.com/WoWdCD2fNl

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 7, 2026

Data published on February 28 showed that 63.66 lakh entries—around 8.3% of the electorate—had been removed since the SIR began in November last year. This reduced the voter base from approximately 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.Of the revised electorate, more than 60.06 lakh voters were initially marked as “under adjudication.” Following scrutiny by judicial officers, over 27.16 lakh names from this category were deleted, while more than 32.68 lakh were retained and included in the rolls.In total, deletions since the commencement of the SIR exercise have reached approximately 90.83 lakh, officials confirmed.
The Commission further noted that data for 59.84 lakh out of the 60.06 lakh voters under adjudication has been made public. Around 22,163 cases have been resolved but are pending e-signature formalities.“Once the pending procedural formalities, including e-signatures, are completed, there may be marginal changes in both deletion and inclusion figures,” the official added.
The Election Commission clarified that the electoral rolls are now frozen as per legal provisions following the last date of nomination for the first phase of polling.“There will be no further inclusion in the electoral roll at this stage. Any change hereon will depend solely on fresh directions, if any, from the Supreme Court of India,” the official said.The apex court is currently hearing matters related to the SIR process in West Bengal and is scheduled to take up the case again on April 13.