Bengal draft electoral roll: Over 58 lakh voter names deleted, Kolkata North worst hit

The draft electoral roll for West Bengal has been published, revealing that 58,20,899 voter names have been deleted so far during the ongoing revision exercise. Official data shows that the deletions largely fall into three categories — deceased voters (24.16 lakh or 3.15%), shifted or absent voters (32.65 lakh or 4.26%), and multiple enrolments (1.38 lakh or 0.18%).

Election officials said most deletions stem from cases where verification forms were not returned or where voters were reported as deceased, permanently shifted, untraceable, absent, or duplicated in the electoral rolls.

Kolkata North has emerged as the worst-affected region, recording the highest percentage of deletions at 25 per cent. At the constituency level, Chowringhee reported the highest number of deletions, with over 74,000 names removed, while Jorasanko witnessed the steepest percentage drop, with more than 36 per cent of voters deleted from the draft roll.

In absolute terms, South 24 Parganas tops the list with over eight lakh deletions, followed by North 24 Parganas, where more than seven lakh names have been struck off.

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal sought to reassure voters, stating that no valid voter would be deleted. He clarified that individuals summoned for hearings should not panic, as they can present supporting documents. Even if a claim is rejected, voters retain the right to appeal.

The Election Commission has also flagged over one crore residents whose voter status cannot be fully verified due to doubts over the authenticity of their details. These individuals may be called for hearings, after which their names could be retained or removed based on verification outcomes.

An analysis of uncollectable electoral forms across select Assembly constituencies in Kolkata North, Kolkata South, and Howrah indicates that deletions are primarily linked to deaths, permanent migration, untraceable voters, and multiple registrations. Kolkata North accounts for six of the nine constituencies analysed.

Among the key constituencies:

• Chowringhee recorded 74,510 uncollectable forms, the highest in absolute numbers
• Jorasanko reported 72,899 uncollectable forms, the highest overall
• Beleghata showed significant deletions due to deaths (8.62%) and permanent migration (10.53%)

In Howrah Uttar, nearly 27 per cent of forms were uncollectable, with permanent migration alone accounting for 11.57 per cent. In Kolkata South, Kolkata Port (26.17%) and Ballygunge (25.54%) also reported high levels of uncollectable forms, spread across deaths, migration and untraceable voters.

Amid growing political concern, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee convened a special meeting with booth-level agents from her constituency, Bhabanipur. According to sources, she flagged reports that around 44,000 names had been deleted and directed party workers to scrutinise every deletion in detail.

“It is being learnt that 44,000 names have been deleted. Recheck all the deleted names thoroughly. Verify the deletions party by party,” Banerjee reportedly told the meeting.

She instructed party workers to stand by voters during hearings, assist them at neighbourhood-level camps, guide those facing documentation issues to ‘May I Help You’ camps, and provide door-to-door support if needed.

Emphasis was also laid on ensuring that no living voter is wrongly marked as deceased, particularly in multi-storeyed buildings. Coordination between Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) was also reviewed.