BJP's thundering victory against the Trinamool Congress, ending a 15-year regime helmed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has marked one of the major aspects of assembly elections in West Bengal. In a significant blow before the assembly polls, more than 90 lakh electors in the state discovered that their names had been deleted from the voters' lists. The development unfolded months after the Election Commission undertook a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls, intending to clean up the records of dead and duplicate voters. In response, TMC alleged to ECI that the SIR process was targeted, fearing that the party could lose its voter base in the state. Meanwhile, after the party went out of power, attention has turned to how voter list deletions aligned with the final vote share of TMC and BJP. More than 25,000 names were removed across 147 constituencies in West Bengal. An analysis by NDTV found that a significant share of these seats went to the BJP, which secured 95 out of 147. The Trinamool won 51, while the Indian National Congress managed just one. In 67 constituencies with deletions ranging from 15,000 to 25,000, the BJP again led with 47 wins, compared to 19 for the Trinamool and 1 for the Congress. Among 62 seats with deletions between 5,000 and 15,000, the BJP won 50, with the rest going to the Trinamool. Notably, all 13 constituencies with fewer than 5,000 deletions were won by the BJP.<h3>Most exclusions from Murshidabad</h3>During the SIR process, the maximum number of cases deemed "excludable" were from the Murshidabad district, where more than 4.55 lakh cases were deleted, whereas from North 24 Parganas were 3,25,666 cases, and from Malda, 2,39,375 cases were deleted. In Murshidabad, Trinamool secured 20 seats out of 22 in 2021, dropping to nine this time. The result shows a split in the minority votes and a consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP. A similar pattern was seen in North 24 Paraganas, where TMC saw a sharp dip, from 28 seats out of 33 seats in 2021, dropping to just eight this time. In Malda, its tally dropped from eight of 12 seats to six, with the remaining seats won by the BJP. The SIR conducted by the ECI became a contentious issue in West Bengal, which shares a 2,200-km border with Bangladesh. The exercise identified a record 91 lakh ineligible voters. Before the SIR notification in November, the electorate stood at over 7.66 crore. A draft roll released in December removed more than 58.20 lakh names, which rose to 63.66 lakh in the final list published on February 28. According to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, over 60.06 lakh cases were sent for judicial review in February. Of these, 27,16,393 were deemed ineligible, taking the total number of deletions to 90,83,345.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/bengal-election-results-jhalmuri-to-juggernaut-bjp-spices-up-tmc-s-rout-voters-show-no-mamata-for-didi-s-15-year-rule-1777962852209">Bengal Election Results: Jhalmuri to juggernaut, BJP spices up TMC’s rout; voters show no ‘mamata’ for Didi’s 15-year rule</a>

In 67 constituencies with deletions ranging from 15,000 to 25,000, the BJP again led with 47 wins, compared to 19 for the Trinamool and one for Congress. Among 62 seats with deletions between 5,000 and 15,000, the BJP won 50, with the rest going to the Trinamool.

BJP's thundering victory against the Trinamool Congress, ending a 15-year regime helmed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has marked one of the major aspects of assembly elections in West Bengal. In a significant blow before the assembly polls, more than 90 lakh electors in the state discovered that their names had been deleted from the voters' lists. The development unfolded months after the Election Commission undertook a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls, intending to clean up the records of dead and duplicate voters. In response, TMC alleged to ECI that the SIR process was targeted, fearing that the party could lose its voter base in the state. Meanwhile, after the party went out of power, attention has turned to how voter list deletions aligned with the final vote share of TMC and BJP. More than 25,000 names were removed across 147 constituencies in West Bengal. An analysis by NDTV found that a significant share of these seats went to the BJP, which secured 95 out of 147. The Trinamool won 51, while the Indian National Congress managed just one. In 67 constituencies with deletions ranging from 15,000 to 25,000, the BJP again led with 47 wins, compared to 19 for the Trinamool and 1 for the Congress. Among 62 seats with deletions between 5,000 and 15,000, the BJP won 50, with the rest going to the Trinamool. Notably, all 13 constituencies with fewer than 5,000 deletions were won by the BJP. Most exclusions from Murshidabad During the SIR process, the maximum number of cases deemed "excludable" were from the Murshidabad district, where more than 4.55 lakh cases were deleted, whereas from North 24 Parganas were 3,25,666 cases, and from Malda, 2,39,375 cases were deleted. In Murshidabad, Trinamool secured 20 seats out of 22 in 2021, dropping to nine this time. The result shows a split in the minority votes and a consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP. A similar pattern was seen in North 24 Paraganas, where TMC saw a sharp dip, from 28 seats out of 33 seats in 2021, dropping to just eight this time. In Malda, its tally dropped from eight of 12 seats to six, with the remaining seats won by the BJP. The SIR conducted by the ECI became a contentious issue in West Bengal, which shares a 2,200-km border with Bangladesh. The exercise identified a record 91 lakh ineligible voters. Before the SIR notification in November, the electorate stood at over 7.66 crore. A draft roll released in December removed more than 58.20 lakh names, which rose to 63.66 lakh in the final list published on February 28. According to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, over 60.06 lakh cases were sent for judicial review in February. Of these, 27,16,393 were deemed ineligible, taking the total number of deletions to 90,83,345. Also read: Bengal Election Results: Jhalmuri to juggernaut, BJP spices up TMC’s rout; voters show no ‘mamata’ for Didi’s 15-year rule

In 67 constituencies with deletions ranging from 15,000 to 25,000, the BJP again led with 47 wins, compared to 19 for the Trinamool and one for Congress. Among 62 seats with deletions between 5,000 and 15,000, the BJP won 50, with the rest going to the Trinamool.

SIR effect in West Bengal: How Trinamool Congress performed where voter deletions were highest

88-year old Suprabuddha Sen says he doesn't care anymore about being disenfranchised. He claims that those who deleted his name from the voter list should be able to answer why he is not in the list. The West Bengal SIR exercise has resulted in the deletion of around 25 lakh voters from the electoral roll, specifically belonging to the underprivileged sections of society. However, in some cases, the exercise has resulted in the exclusion of people who belonged to the upper strata of society.&nbsp;Suprabuddha Sen is a resident of Shantiniketan and worked as an engineer in Damodar Valley Corporation for 32 years. He is the maternal grandson of the Artist Nandalal Bose. Nandalal Bose was a pioneer in modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. He illustrated the original manuscript of the Constitution of India and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1954.&nbsp;“I submitted all documents, including my matriculation certificate, passport, employment records, pension payment order, but still they kept the name under adjudication and later deleted it. Similarly, my wife also submitted all the pertinent documents that they asked for, but still her name has been removed from the voter list,” said Suprabudhha Sen.&nbsp;Wing Commander Md Shamim Akhtar, a decorated IAF officer, served the nation for 17 years. He once held a diplomatic passport; his name was placed “under adjudication” and then later deleted. He said that his name was there in the final list, but in the first supplementary list on March 23, it was marked ‘under adjudication’. "I contacted my BLO, Mondal, but he did not tell me any procedure to follow and assured me that it would be restored automatically. Then on March 28, when my name was deleted in the second list, the BLO told me to hire a lawyer and approach the tribunal,” said Md Shamim Akhtar.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-west-bengal-voter-deletion-tribunal-assembly-election-2026-1775541778899">'We don't want to rush it': Supreme Court refuses interim relief as 25 lakh deleted voters await tribunal hearing</a>Kargil war veteran, Mohammad Dual Ali, who sustained combat injuries, was brought “under adjudication” despite providing substantial documents. His name, along with the names of three other members of his family, was removed. "..three other members of my family, two daughters and one son, have also been included in the adjudication list, despite one being a judicial officer,” said Dua Ali to the Wire.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Is the EC targeting a particular community in order to improve the chances of the BJP winning? Is the EC targeting a particular community in order to improve the chances of the BJP winning? <a href="https://t.co/7Z5Wv0Pmzx">https://t.co/7Z5Wv0Pmzx</a>&mdash; Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD (@malpani) <a href="https://twitter.com/malpani/status/2040634761014624760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The state’s Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, was also placed in the “under adjudication” category. Notably, hours after announcing the assembly election schedule, the Election Commission of India removed West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty from her position. Other notable mentions include Richa Gosh, a member of India's 2025 ICC Women's World Cup-winning squad and a celebrated cricketer from Siliguri, who was placed “under adjudication”. She was with India's Women's team in Australia when her name was placed “under adjudication”.&nbsp;Shashi Panja, a cabinet minister and long-serving MLA, Ghulam Rabbani West Bengal's Minister for Environment and Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Mohammad Selim a two-time Panchayat Pradhan, two-time MLA from Baduria, and former high school teacher, and Baikuntha Bagchi An 86-year-old man reported to be the uncle of Justice Joymalya Bagchi, &nbsp;the Supreme Court judge who is presiding over the SIR cases, were either placed “under adjudication” or deleted.Only in the Metro city of South Calcutta, 36 per cent of under adjudication voter accounting for approximately at least 28,468 have been deleted, for North Calcutta, it is 64 per cent, approximately 39,164. The whole West Bengal SIR exercise has turned into a monumental failure either due to the mismanagement by the institutions of the Government of India, or due to a structural flaw in the Indian constitution, which vests extraordinary power in its executive branches, thus failing to secure impartiality of the institution.

West Bengal’s voter roll revision has led to the deletion of nearly 25 lakh names, including veterans, officials and citizens despite valid documents, raising concerns over disenfranchisement and electoral integrity.

88-year old Suprabuddha Sen says he doesn't care anymore about being disenfranchised. He claims that those who deleted his name from the voter list should be able to answer why he is not in the list. The West Bengal SIR exercise has resulted in the deletion of around 25 lakh voters from the electoral roll, specifically belonging to the underprivileged sections of society. However, in some cases, the exercise has resulted in the exclusion of people who belonged to the upper strata of society. Suprabuddha Sen is a resident of Shantiniketan and worked as an engineer in Damodar Valley Corporation for 32 years. He is the maternal grandson of the Artist Nandalal Bose. Nandalal Bose was a pioneer in modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. He illustrated the original manuscript of the Constitution of India and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1954. “I submitted all documents, including my matriculation certificate, passport, employment records, pension payment order, but still they kept the name under adjudication and later deleted it. Similarly, my wife also submitted all the pertinent documents that they asked for, but still her name has been removed from the voter list,” said Suprabudhha Sen. Wing Commander Md Shamim Akhtar, a decorated IAF officer, served the nation for 17 years. He once held a diplomatic passport; his name was placed “under adjudication” and then later deleted. He said that his name was there in the final list, but in the first supplementary list on March 23, it was marked ‘under adjudication’. "I contacted my BLO, Mondal, but he did not tell me any procedure to follow and assured me that it would be restored automatically. Then on March 28, when my name was deleted in the second list, the BLO told me to hire a lawyer and approach the tribunal,” said Md Shamim Akhtar. Also Read: 'We don't want to rush it': Supreme Court refuses interim relief as 25 lakh deleted voters await tribunal hearing Kargil war veteran, Mohammad Dual Ali, who sustained combat injuries, was brought “under adjudication” despite providing substantial documents. His name, along with the names of three other members of his family, was removed. "..three other members of my family, two daughters and one son, have also been included in the adjudication list, despite one being a judicial officer,” said Dua Ali to the Wire.

West Bengal’s voter roll revision has led to the deletion of nearly 25 lakh names, including veterans, officials and citizens despite valid documents, raising concerns over disenfranchisement and electoral integrity.

From veterans to bureaucrats: Voter roll deletions in West Bengal raise serious concerns over disenfranchisement

The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from the West Bengal government to direct the Tribunal to pass an interim order allowing at least some category of voters who were wrongly deleted to vote. It also refused to set a deadline for the hearings of the 19 Tribunals, which have just heard two cases till now.&nbsp;The fate of approximately 25 lakh people whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls now hinges on tribunal proceedings, as thousands line up to appeal their deletion ahead of the West Bengal Assembly election on April 23 and April 29. What adds to the scale of deletion is the socio-economic profile of the voters being deleted, some of them are the most underprivileged sections in the society, such as poor daily wage workers, housewives and farmers. West Bengal is among the 12 states and Union Territories where the special intensive revision of the electoral roll was undertaken.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pakistan-repay-uae-debt-3-5-billion-reserves-imf-pressure-1775309469100">Pakistan to repay $3.5 billion UAE debt amid West Asia tensions, reserves under pressure</a>The Tribunal operations began on April 6, but as of now, the Tribunal has decided only two cases, both of which were election candidates, and they have been cleared. These are also under Supreme Court directives. Monday, April 6, was the deadline for adjudication of the voters in 152 constituencies going to the polls in the first phase, as the poll list has been frozen. While for the second phase of voter the deadline for 142- second phase constituencies will end on Thursday, April 9. Not even a single case for the ordinary voters has been heard.&nbsp;Shyam Divan, appearing for the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, urged the bench to set a deadline of April 15 for the Tribunal to dispose of all the appeals so that they can be enrolled on April 18 in the final voter list. But the top court denied arguing that they do not want to interfere. “The tribunals will proceed with the hearings. We do not want to rush it, but we need to freeze the list somewhere,” observed the SC bench hearing the appeal.&nbsp;Around 25-26 lakh voters have been deleted from the rolls; of these, roughly 23-25 lakh are awaiting a decision from the Tribunal. April 22 has been set as the last date to approach the Tribunal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Supreme Court denies interim relief to deleted West Bengal voters as 25 lakh await tribunal decisions ahead of assembly polls in April.

The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from the West Bengal government to direct the Tribunal to pass an interim order allowing at least some category of voters who were wrongly deleted to vote. It also refused to set a deadline for the hearings of the 19 Tribunals, which have just heard two cases till now. The fate of approximately 25 lakh people whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls now hinges on tribunal proceedings, as thousands line up to appeal their deletion ahead of the West Bengal Assembly election on April 23 and April 29. What adds to the scale of deletion is the socio-economic profile of the voters being deleted, some of them are the most underprivileged sections in the society, such as poor daily wage workers, housewives and farmers. West Bengal is among the 12 states and Union Territories where the special intensive revision of the electoral roll was undertaken. Also Read: Pakistan to repay $3.5 billion UAE debt amid West Asia tensions, reserves under pressure The Tribunal operations began on April 6, but as of now, the Tribunal has decided only two cases, both of which were election candidates, and they have been cleared. These are also under Supreme Court directives. Monday, April 6, was the deadline for adjudication of the voters in 152 constituencies going to the polls in the first phase, as the poll list has been frozen. While for the second phase of voter the deadline for 142- second phase constituencies will end on Thursday, April 9. Not even a single case for the ordinary voters has been heard. Shyam Divan, appearing for the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, urged the bench to set a deadline of April 15 for the Tribunal to dispose of all the appeals so that they can be enrolled on April 18 in the final voter list. But the top court denied arguing that they do not want to interfere. “The tribunals will proceed with the hearings. We do not want to rush it, but we need to freeze the list somewhere,” observed the SC bench hearing the appeal. Around 25-26 lakh voters have been deleted from the rolls; of these, roughly 23-25 lakh are awaiting a decision from the Tribunal. April 22 has been set as the last date to approach the Tribunal.

Supreme Court denies interim relief to deleted West Bengal voters as 25 lakh await tribunal decisions ahead of assembly polls in April.

'We don't want to rush it': Supreme Court refuses interim relief as 25 lakh deleted voters await tribunal hearing

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SIR effect in West Bengal: How Trinamool Congress performed where voter deletions were highest

Veterans, officials, athletes among 25 lakh deleted from Bengal voter rolls

SC denies interim relief as 25 lakh deleted voters in WB wait for the tribunal