The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released the final electoral rolls for West Bengal after conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter lists. At least 63.66 lakh names, nearly 8.3% of the electorate, have been deleted in West Bengal since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began in November last year, bringing down the total number of voters in the state to over 7.04 crore ahead of the assembly elections due in April, EC officials said on Saturday.

The post-SIR rolls, released on Saturday after a 116-day exercise that continues into a review stage now, show that more than 60 lakh electors have been placed in the “under adjudication” category. Their fate is to be decided by judicial officers in the coming weeks, a process that could further rejig constituency-level equations.

Enumeration Forms and Voter Status

According to a press release from the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), 58,20,899 Enumeration Forms were not submitted during the revision period. The ECI identified 24,16,852 voters as deceased, 12,20,039 as absent, 19,88,076 as having shifted their residence, 1,38,328 as already enrolled, and 57,604 names were removed for other reasons. Following the publication of the draft voter list on December 16, 2025, a total of 1,82,036 voters were added to the rolls using Forms 6 and 6A, with an additional 6,671 entries made through Form 8.

Integrity and Transparency of the Revision Process

The ECI reported that 60,06,675 electors undergoing adjudication were included in the final electoral list. The gender ratio maintained stability at 956, consistent with that observed after the draft rolls’ publication. The primary goal of the SIR initiative was to guarantee the inclusion of eligible voters while ensuring the exclusion of ineligible names, conducted with full transparency at each step. The revision relied on a comprehensive physical verification strategy, wherein Booth Level Officers (BLOs) oversaw the distribution and collection of enumeration forms.

Voter Verification and Application Process

Electors have been encouraged to verify their names in the electoral rolls and, if necessary, submit applications for inclusion (Form-6/6A), corrections (Form-8), or deletions (Form-7) via both online and offline channels. The SIR process has been a contentious issue between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Mamata Banerjee-led government has criticized the entire operation, alleging collusion between the BJP and the ECI.

Legal Challenges and Supreme Court Involvement

The BJP has highlighted concerns regarding illegal immigration, which it may leverage as a campaign issue for the upcoming 2026 Legislative Assembly elections. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh remarked that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared “rattled” by the SIR process. The matter has also led to legal disputes, with the Supreme Court allowing the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to appoint additional civil judges with at least three years of experience for the verification of objections. The decision received a positive response from the West Bengal government.

Supreme Court Decision on ECI Directions

Additionally, the Supreme Court recently declined a request from the West Bengal government aimed at preventing the ECI from allegedly directing judicial officers involved in the verification of documents related to the SIR of electoral rolls. This reflects the ongoing tensions surrounding the electoral revision process in the state.

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