Fri Nov 28 21:05:00 UTC 2025: Summary:

West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of its electoral rolls has identified roughly 2.7 million voters as dead, duplicate, untraceable, or shifted as of November 28, 2025. This includes a significant number of deceased voters (1.55 million). The revision process is nearing its end, with enumeration forms mostly distributed and digitized. The BJP is raising concerns about “fake” voters and alleged foreign citizens on the rolls ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The Election Commission has appointed officials to oversee the revision and relocate the CEO’s office due to security concerns. The draft electoral roll will be made public on December 9, followed by a list of flagged voters.

News Article:

Millions of “Problematic” Voters Identified in West Bengal Electoral Roll Revision

KOLKATA, November 29, 2025 – A massive overhaul of West Bengal’s electoral rolls has flagged approximately 2.7 million voters as dead, duplicate, untraceable, or shifted, according to sources within the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has identified a significant number of deceased voters, estimated at 1.55 million.

The revision, which aims to cleanse the voter list ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, has sparked political controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the state’s chief opposition, is claiming widespread irregularities and accusing the ruling party of maintaining “fake” voters on the rolls. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari has previously suggested that as many as 1 crore voters may be invalid and eventually removed through SIR.

As of Friday, November 28, 2025, the SIR process had digitized about 88% of enumeration forms. While the enumeration phase ends on December 4, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled the release of the draft electoral roll for December 9. A separate list containing the names of deceased, duplicate, untraceable, and relocated voters will also be published. Electors will then have the opportunity to submit forms to rectify any errors or omissions.

To ensure a fair and transparent process, the ECI has appointed retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta to oversee the revision. A delegation of 12 IAS officers has also been deployed to assist district officials in taking corrective measures.

Amid the revision process, the ECI has directed the relocation of the CEO’s office due to alleged security breaches following protests by disgruntled election workers. The Kolkata Police Commissioner has been directed to ensure security at both the existing and new office locations.

The ongoing electoral roll revision is expected to significantly impact the voter landscape in West Bengal as the state prepares for the 2026 Assembly elections.

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