The Election Commission of India has cleared the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process to prepare comprehensive and transparent electoral rolls across the country. The exercise will be conducted in nine states and three Union Territories. The move is aimed at improving the accuracy and integrity of voter lists through a focused and time-bound verification drive.
The Special Intensive Revision is a door-to-door verification exercise that goes beyond the routine annual revision of electoral rolls. It is designed to remove ineligible names and ensure that only eligible voters remain on the lists. The process is currently underway in West Bengal, where it has triggered political debate over the scale and timing of voter deletions.
In a recent development, the Election Commission released constituency-wise details of voters removed from the rolls in West Bengal. The announcement came a day after the deadline for submission of enumeration forms. According to the Commission, more than 58 lakh voter names have been deleted across the state in the initial phase of the revision.
In Bhabanipur constituency in Kolkata, represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, 44,787 voter names were removed from the rolls. The constituency had 1,61,509 registered voters as of January. The Election Commission cited deaths, migration, and duplicate entries as the primary reasons for the deletions.
Large-scale deletions were also reported in Nandigram, represented by opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, where 10,599 names were removed from a total of 2,78,212 voters. Other constituencies such as Chowringhee, Kolkata Port, Tollygunge, Asansol South, and Siliguri also saw significant deletions. District-wise, South 24 Parganas recorded the highest number of deletions at 8,16,047, while Kotulpur in Bankura district reported the lowest with 5,678 names removed. The Election Commission is set to release the draft electoral roll on the 16th of this month, detailing additions and deletions made during the revision process.