Bengal SIR 2026: EC begins releasing final voter lists; 1.35 lakh deletions likely in Bankura

The Election Commission of India on Saturday began releasing West Bengal’s updated electoral rolls following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), marking a crucial step ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The poll panel has started publishing the post-SIR final voter lists district-wise, with certain areas such as Bankura displaying hard copies of the revised rolls at designated offices.

However, as of the latest updates, the final lists had not yet been uploaded to the Commission’s official portals or mobile application, prompting voters to rely on physical copies for immediate verification.

Sources within the Commission indicated that more than 1.35 lakh names may have been deleted in Bankura district alone during the revision process.

While the final statewide deletion figures are yet to be formally disclosed, officials said the clean-up exercise was conducted to remove ineligible entries and ensure accuracy ahead of the high-stakes 2026 polls.

Voters will soon be able to check their names on the official websites, eci.gov.in and ceowestbengal.wb.gov.in, as well as via the ECI Net mobile application once the digital upload is completed. The updated lists are also being made available at district and sub-divisional offices and polling stations across the state.

The draft electoral rolls, published on December 16, had already indicated a significant drop in the total number of electors in West Bengal. 

The electorate count fell from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore, reflecting the deletion of more than 58 lakh names. Officials attributed these removals to reasons such as death, migration, duplication and voters being untraceable.

In the second phase of the SIR exercise, hearings were conducted for nearly 1.67 crore electors. Of these, around 1.36 crore were flagged for what officials termed “logical discrepancies,” while approximately 31 lakh cases lacked proper mapping within polling jurisdictions.

Nearly 60 lakh voters remain under adjudication, with supplementary electoral rolls expected to be issued in phases as pending cases are resolved.

The SIR exercise has been politically sensitive, triggering intense debate across party lines. Opposition parties had earlier raised concerns over the scale of deletions in the draft rolls, alleging that genuine voters might be affected.

The Commission, however, maintained that the revision was carried out in accordance with established procedures and aimed solely at enhancing transparency and accuracy in the electoral database.

Notably, this marks the first comprehensive statewide revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal since 2002. Election officials described the process as a large-scale administrative effort involving months of door-to-door verification, scrutiny of claims and objections, and formal hearings.

With the 2026 Assembly elections drawing closer, the publication of the final rolls is being viewed as a key preparatory milestone. Ensuring that the electoral database is accurate and up-to-date is critical to conducting free and fair polls in a politically charged environment.

As the remaining adjudications are completed and supplementary lists are released, voters are advised to verify their details at the earliest to avoid last-minute complications ahead of the crucial electoral battle in 2026.