Kolkata: The Election Commission’s adjudication of West Bengal’s voter rolls has rejected nearly 12 lakh claims, heightening political tensions weeks before the state assembly elections on April 23 and 29.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process scrutinised 60 lakh contested entries flagged in the February 28 rolls. As many as 705 judicial officers cleared just over half, confirming the deletions. The first supplementary list added 10 lakh names but left 28 lakh cases pending, shrinking the electorate from 7.6 crore to 6.5 crore.
Subsequent lists are due on March 27 and April 3.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sharply criticised the process, alleging widespread deletions. She also slammed the midnight release of the list, saying it disproportionately affected communities like the Rajbanshis and women.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury voiced similar concern, stating “the voters’ list remains unfinished despite the announcement of election dates.”
Compounding the distrust, a technical glitch on the Election Commission’s portal briefly displayed all West Bengal voters as “under adjudication.” The EC attributed the error to a server or backend integration issue, resolving it within two hours.
In constituencies like Sujapur and Bahadurpur, residents reported names deleted despite submitting valid documents, amplifying fears of disenfranchisement.
