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Bengal Voter List Purge: 90 Lakh Names Face Deletion Before Polls

The Election Commission of India estimates that nearly 90 lakh names could be deleted from West Bengal's voter lists following the ongoing judicial adjudication process for cases marked with "logical discrepancies." This figure is based on an observed daily deletion rate of 40-45% among cases already adjudicated. Over 700 judicial officers are working to complete the process this week, ahead of the two-phase Assembly elections scheduled for April 23 and 29. Voters whose names are deleted can appeal to one of 19 specially constituted Appellate Tribunals.

Key Points: Bengal Voter List: 90 Lakh Names May Be Deleted Before Elections

  • 90 lakh names estimated for deletion
  • Judicial adjudication ongoing for discrepancies
  • Over 700 judicial officers involved
  • Two-phase polls on April 23 & 29
2 min read

Bengal polls: 90 lakh names likely to get deleted after judicial adjudication process ends

ECI estimates nearly 90 lakh voter names to be deleted in West Bengal after judicial adjudication of discrepancies, ahead of April polls.

"the final deletion figure will hover around 90 lakh - CEO's office insider"

Kolkata, March 31

Based on the average daily deletion rates of voters' names in the course of the ongoing judicial adjudication of voters classified under the "logical discrepancy" category, the Election Commission of India has estimated that the final deletion figure at the end of the process would be a little less than 90 lakh.

Explaining how the estimated final figure of deletion has been arrived at, an insider from office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal on Tuesday pointed that already in the final voters' list which was published on February 28, a total of 63,66,952 names were deleted mainly under the categories of "deceased", "shifted", "missing" and "duplicate" voters.

"The final list was minus the 60,00,675 cases, which were referred for judicial adjudication. Now, as far as the judicial adjudication process is concerned, it has been noticed that the average daily deletion of names during the ongoing adjudication process has been between 40 and 45 per cent of the cases whose adjudication has been completed. So, going by that average daily rate of deletion, it has been estimated that the final deletion figure will hover around 90 lakh," the CEO's office insider explained.

However, he added, this estimated figure is based solely on the average daily rate of name deletions in the judicial adjudication process. The voters whose names would be deleted in the judicial adjudication process will have the opportunity to approach any of the 19 Appellate Tribunals constituted for that purpose.

As of now, it is learnt that, based on figures available till Monday night, the judicial adjudication process is yet to be completed for just around 16 lakh voters, and the Commission is confident that the process will be completed within the current week.

Currently, over 700 judicial officers, including 100 each from neighbouring Odisha and Jharkhand, are involved in the adjudication process, and they are working day and night to complete the process at the earliest.

The two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal will be conducted on April 23 and April 29. In the first phase, voting will be held in 152 Assembly constituencies, and in the second phase,142 seats will go to the polls. The results will be declared on May 4.

The nomination phase has started with the ECI issuing the notification for the elections on Monday.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Finally some action on the voter list! For years we've heard about "ghost voters" and booth capturing. If these are genuinely duplicate, shifted, or deceased entries, then deleting them strengthens our democracy. The provision for Appellate Tribunals is a good safeguard for genuine voters.
R
Rohit P
My concern is for the common man. What if a genuine voter's name gets deleted in this hurry? The election is weeks away. Will people have enough time to check and appeal? The EC must run a massive awareness campaign so no one is deprived of their right to vote.
A
Ananya R
Respectfully, I have to criticize the communication here. "Logical discrepancy" is such a vague term for the public. The EC and media should explain in simpler terms what exactly these discrepancies are. Is it mismatched Aadhaar details? Address issues? Voters deserve clarity.
D
David E
Watching from abroad, this seems like a Herculean task. 700 judicial officers working day and night is impressive logistics. The scale of Indian elections is mind-boggling. Hope the process ensures the will of the people is accurately reflected.
K
Kavya N
Every party will now claim they are being targeted. But if the process is judicial and officers are from Odisha and Jharkhand too, it should be neutral. Let's focus on the outcome—a cleaner voter list. Everyone should immediately check their name on the EC website!

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