West Bengal voter list may shrink by 68 lakh from 2024 Lok Sabha polls; SIR hearings conclude, final list due February 28
Times of India
by TNNFebruary 15, 2026
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West Bengal's voter list is set to see a significant reduction of at least 68 lakh voters—about 9%—from the numbers seen in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This decline is due to a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, which aims to remove ineligible or duplicate entries. The final revised voter list will be published by February 28, following extensive hearings and document verification processes.
The draft SIR list, released on December 16, excluded over 58 lakh voters categorized as "absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate" (ASD). Additionally, about 10 lakh more names are expected to be removed. The Election Commission highlighted that 3.6 lakh voters could not be notified due to missing BLOs (Basis List Officers) and will thus be excluded outright. Another 5.2 lakh voters who received notices but did not attend hearings will also have their names removed. Furthermore, 1.6 lakh individuals were marked ineligible during the document-verification stage.
The EC has flagged several issues where invalid or incomplete data, such as newspaper clippings or blank pages, were uploaded into the system. These cases will be scrutinized further during a super-checking exercise, potentially leading to additional exclusions. Despite these challenges, the EC has processed 7.4 lakh new voter registrations and 3.4 lakh update requests between December 16 and January 19. The final roll is expected to exclude at least 10.4 lakh names due to in-person hearing defaults and document issues.
This voter revision process has sparked political tensions, with the BJP accusing Mamata Banerjee of misleading the nation over the SIR ruling, while the TMC counters these claims. The outcome of this revision could significantly impact the electoral landscape in West Bengal, making it a crucial development for those monitoring India's political dynamics.
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Originally published on Times of India on 2/15/2026