In preparation for the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, scheduled to be held in phases during April 2026, the Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, beginning in late 2025 and concluding in early April 2026.
During this process, approximately 9.1 million names were removed from the voter list. As a result, West Bengal’s electorate declined from around 7.66 crore to approximately 6.75 crore, reflecting a reduction of nearly 12 per cent.
According to a report by Al-Jazeera, over nine million voters (more than 10-12% of West Bengal’s electorate) were stripped of their voting rights ahead of the crucial state assembly elections.
The voter roll revision (Special Intensive Revision or SIR) disproportionately targeted and removed legitimate Muslim voters. (Al-Jazeera).
Muslims, who make up about 27% of West Bengal’s population, accounted for a significantly higher share (34%) of the deletions, indicating deliberate bias.
In several key constituencies and Muslim-majority districts (such as Murshidabad, Malda, North 24 Parganas, and areas like Nandigram and Bhabanipur), the impact was even more extreme, with some reports claiming 40% to over 95% of deleted names belonging to Muslims.
The process is portrayed as rushed, opaque, and flawed, affecting people with valid documents, including long-time residents, families, and even some government staff or former army personnel.
