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Mamata's Bhabanipur Seat: Why 44,770 Voter Exclusions Raise Alarm

The draft electoral roll for West Bengal shows a massive exclusion of voters from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's own Assembly seat. Over 44,000 people have been dropped from the list in Bhabanipur constituency. This comes after the CM herself expressed fears about manipulation of the voter list there. The BJP has dismissed these concerns as signs of the ruling party's nervousness about the upcoming elections.

Key Points: 44,770 Voters Excluded from Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur Draft List

  • Draft list excludes 44,770 voters from previous Bhabanipur Assembly constituency roll
  • 127 voters excluded from CM's own polling booth, including 13 deceased
  • Mamata Banerjee had previously alleged manipulation of the Bhabanipur voters' list
  • BJP's Amit Malviya dismissed concerns as fear of electoral defeat
2 min read

44,770 voters excluded in draft list for Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur Assembly seat

Over 44,700 voters excluded in draft list for CM Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur seat, amid TMC allegations of voter list manipulation ahead of polls.

"such apprehension by the Chief Minister was nothing but fear of facing defeat - Amit Malviya, BJP IT Cell Chief"

Kolkata, Dec 16

The draft voters’ list in West Bengal, which was published earlier in the day, shows that a total of 44, 770 voters from the previous list as of October 2025 have been excluded in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata, where the elected legislator is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The number of voters excluded from booth number 260, where both Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, cast their votes, stands at 127. Out of these 127 voters, 13 are deceased voters, and the rest are either shifted voters or untraceable or duplicate voters, or those found suitable for exclusion for other reasons.

To recall, in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, Adhikari got elected from Nandigram, defeating the Chief Minister and the Trinamool Congress candidate Mamata Banerjee by a little less than 2,000 voters.

Later, Mamata Banerjee got elected in the by-elections from Bhabanipur and retained her chair as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term.

Incidentally, Bhabanipur is one of the seven Assembly constituencies under the Kolkata (Dakshin) Lok Sabha constituency.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, although the Trinamool Congress candidate Mala Roy got elected for the second time from Kolkata (Dakshin), she trailed in the majority of municipal corporation wards in both Bhabanipur and its adjacent Rashbehari constituency.

In 2024, Trinamool Congress even trailed in Ward Number 73 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, where the Chief Minister is a voter.

In October this year, the Chief Minister expressed apprehension of manipulation in the voters’ list in the Bhabanipur constituency and also indirectly accused the BJP, without naming the party, of trying to relocate outsiders in Bhabanipur.

Reacting to such an allegation from the Chief Minister, BJP's IT Cell Chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, then issued a statement claiming such apprehension by the Chief Minister was nothing but fear of facing defeat in the constituency during the Assembly polls.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
If 13 are deceased and the rest are shifted/duplicate, then the cleanup seems logical. Voter lists need regular updating to prevent fraud. But the timing, just before potential elections, will always raise questions.
A
Amit Malviya
The Chief Minister's allegations are baseless. The process is conducted by the Election Commission of India. If Didi is afraid of a fair electoral roll, it shows her fear of the people's verdict in Bhabanipur.
S
Sneha F
As a resident of South Kolkata, I hope this is just routine revision. We saw the trends in the Lok Sabha elections where TMC trailed in many wards here. The political heat is definitely on in Bhabanipur.
K
Karthik V
Respectfully, while vigilance is needed, we must also trust our institutions. The EC has a procedure for claims and objections. Instead of pre-emptively crying foul, all parties should guide voters to check the list and file claims if needed.
M
Meera T
The fact that this is the CM's own constituency makes it extra sensitive. After the Nandigram defeat, Bhabanipur is crucial for her. Hope the final list is beyond reproach. Democracy should win, not any one party.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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