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West Bengal Voter List: Why 5.7 Million Names Face Exclusion Amid Election Prep

The Election Commission is taking a big step for transparency in West Bengal. They're giving political parties a detailed list of over 5.7 million voters who should be removed from the rolls. This includes people who have died, moved away, or can't be found. Parties will use this list to prepare for hearings before the final list is published in February.

Key Points: ECI Gives Excludable Voter List to Bengal Parties for Transparency

  • ECI to provide detailed breakup of deceased, shifted, and untraceable voters to party agents
  • Move aims to bring transparency to the upcoming claims and objections hearing process
  • Over 5.7 million voters identified for exclusion from the current electoral roll
  • The final voters' list will be published on February 14, ahead of expected Assembly polls
2 min read

Bengal SIR: ECI to give list of excludable voters to BLAs for better transparency

ECI shares list of 5.7M excludable voters with Bengal party agents to ensure transparency in the Special Intensive Revision before state elections.

"With the separate list being handed over to the BLAs... the individual political parties... will have enough time for doing the homework - CEO Office Insider"

Kolkata, Dec 11

With the deadline for the submission and digitisation of the enumeration forms in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal coming to end at 12 midnight on Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to handover the separate lists of excludable voters to the booth-level agents (BLAs) of all the political parties in the state that are registered with the it.

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said the list will also contain the detailed breakup of the excludable voters, like deceased voters, shifted voters, untraceable voters, duplicate voters, and voters deemed to be found excludable for other reasons.

This decision of the ECI to hand over the separate list to the BLAs of different political parties is aimed at bringing transparency in the process of hearing on claims and objections that will happen in the second stage of the three-level SIR exercise after the publication of the draft voters’ list on December 16, the CEO’s office insider said.

“With the separate list being handed over to the BLAs immediately after the submission and digitisation of the enumeration forms being completed on Thursday midnight, the individual political parties and their BLAs will have enough time for doing the homework for the process of hearings on claims and objections,” the insider added.

As of Wednesday night, a total of 57,52,207 voters have been identified by the ECI as excludable voters. Out of them, 24,14,750 are deceased voters, followed by 19,89,914 shifted voters and 11,57,889 untraceable voters.

The rest are duplicate voters and voters deemed to be found excludable for other reasons.

The total number of voters as per the list as of October 27, 2025, is 7,66,37,529. The SIR exercise started on November 4. The draft voters’ list will be published on December 16. The final voters’ list will be published on February 14.

Soon after that, the ECI is expected to announce polling dates for the Assembly elections in the state.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The numbers are staggering! Over 57 lakh excludable voters? That's nearly 7.5% of the total list. It shows how outdated our rolls can become. This clean-up is long overdue, especially before such a major election. Good move.
P
Priya S
Finally some clarity! As a citizen, it's reassuring to know the exact reasons—deceased, shifted, duplicate. This should reduce the usual political blame game during elections. Let's hope the process on the ground is as smooth as it sounds on paper. 🤞
R
Rohit P
While transparency is good, the timing feels rushed. Giving BLAs the list right after the midnight deadline? They need proper time to verify such a massive list. Hope this doesn't lead to errors or missed objections in the hearing stage.
M
Meera T
The high number of 'shifted' and 'untraceable' voters (over 31 lakh combined) points to a bigger issue of migration within the state. The electoral machinery needs a more dynamic system to track these changes in real-time, not just before polls.
D
David E
Interesting process. The breakdown is helpful. 24 lakh deceased voters on the list is a sobering figure. It underscores the importance of regular updates. A clean list is the foundation of a legitimate mandate.

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