EC begins district-wise publication of post-SIR voter rolls in Bengal | Check details

The Election Commission on Saturday began publishing the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral rolls in West Bengal in phases across districts, with Bankura reporting a net deletion of around 1.18 lakh names since the exercise began. Hard copies of the updated rolls were displayed in districts including Bankura and Cooch Behar, while the lists were yet to be fully accessible online at the time of publication.

In Bankura, where the electorate stood at 30,33,830 when the SIR commenced on November 4 last year, the draft rolls published on December 16 reflected a reduction to 29,01,009. After hearings and scrutiny in the subsequent phase, about 4,000 additional names were deleted, while several thousand fresh applications under Form 6 were approved. The final roll now stands at approximately 29,15,000 voters, according to a senior district official.

Officials said deletions were primarily due to death, migration, duplication and untraceability, while additions followed due verification. The statewide publication classifies 7.08 crore electors from the December 16 draft into three categories — approved, deleted and under adjudication. Around 60 lakh voters remain under review, and supplementary rolls are expected to be issued as pending cases are resolved.

In Alipurduar, the final SIR voter list shows 11,96,651 names included, with 11,692 deletions and 80,494 voters still under adjudication. Reports from other districts were awaited as the phased publication continued. The SIR, the first statewide revision since 2002, involved hearings for 1.67 crore electors flagged for discrepancies or mapping issues.

The rollout triggered long queues outside district election offices and cyber cafes, with voters scanning printed sheets or seeking assistance to verify their status. With online access limited, many residents waited in lines to check whether their names appeared under the approved, deleted or under-consideration categories, underscoring the high public interest and political stakes ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.