What Happened
- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sit-in protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections.
- The SIR process, which began in November 2025, resulted in approximately 63.66 lakh names being deleted from the electoral rolls — reducing registered voters from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
- An additional 60.06 lakh electors were placed in an "under adjudication" category, meaning their eligibility will be examined through further legal scrutiny — effectively leaving their voting status uncertain until the matter is resolved.
- The TMC (Trinamool Congress) accused the Election Commission of conducting a "politically motivated" exercise in coordination with the central government to disenfranchise legitimate Bengali voters before the assembly elections.
- The Election Commission defended the SIR as a routine but enhanced process to clean up the voter rolls of duplicates, deceased persons, and those who have migrated — the process is conducted periodically ahead of major elections.
Static Topic Bridges
Special Intensive Revision (SIR): Legal Framework and Process
The electoral roll for every constituency is governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA 1950) and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Section 21 of the RPA 1950 mandates revision of electoral rolls before every general election or as directed by the Election Commission. Section 21(3) specifically allows the ECI to direct a "special revision" of the electoral roll for any constituency at any time, for reasons to be recorded.
A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a more comprehensive variant of the standard summary or intensive revision. Under a SIR, field-level verification (door-to-door or document-based) is carried out more rigorously than under annual summary revisions, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) physically verifying each entry.
- Section 21(2): Electoral roll to be revised before each general election (Lok Sabha or state assembly)
- Section 21(3): ECI can direct special revision at any time, for recorded reasons
- Section 22: Electoral registration officers can amend, transpose, or delete entries after proper verification
- SIR involves: Form 6 (inclusion), Form 7 (deletion), Form 8 (correction) — all subject to objection and appeal
- Revision schedule: Draft publication → claims and objections period → final publication
- BLOs (Booth Level Officers): Grassroots functionaries responsible for maintaining accuracy of rolls
Connection to this news: The legal authority for the ECI to conduct the SIR is unambiguous under Sections 21 and 22 of the RPA 1950. The political controversy centres on the scale of deletions (8.3% of the electorate) and the allegation that the process was selectively applied to certain demographic groups.
Election Commission of India: Powers and Constitutional Independence
The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body established under Article 324, which vests in it the superintendence, direction, and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of all elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice President.
Article 324(1) gives the ECI sweeping powers over the entire electoral process, including roll preparation. The ECI's independence is protected by Article 324(5): the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only through a process like impeachment of a Supreme Court judge (address by both Houses of Parliament on grounds of proven misbehaviour), making the office resistant to executive pressure.
- Article 324(1): Superintendence, direction, and control of electoral rolls vested in ECI
- Article 324(5): CEC removable only like a Supreme Court judge — impeachment-level protection
- Election Commissioners (other than CEC): Removal recommended by the Chief Election Commissioner (amended post–Chief Election Commissioners and Other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Act, 2023)
- The 2023 Act changed the appointment committee: President appoints on advice of a committee comprising PM, Leader of Opposition, and a Union Cabinet Minister (nominated by PM) — Supreme Court's earlier ruling in Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023) had included the Chief Justice of India in the committee; the Act removed this
- ECI's independence from political pressure is structurally important given its role in administering SIR processes ahead of sensitive elections
Connection to this news: The TMC's accusations of ECI-BJP collusion directly challenge the constitutional independence framework of Article 324 — the controversy echoes a broader national debate about whether the ECI's structural independence is adequately protected by law.
Electoral Roll Disputes and Voter Disenfranchisement Concerns
The deletion of voter entries from electoral rolls is a recurring source of political controversy in India. Legitimate concerns include: (a) systematic deletion of voters from specific communities or geographic areas to affect election outcomes; and (b) procedural lapses where genuine voters are deleted without adequate notice or opportunity to object.
Under Section 23 of the RPA 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, any person aggrieved by deletion of their name can appeal to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and further to the Chief Electoral Officer of the state. The ECI has also established the National Voter Service Portal (NVSP) for online verification and complaint filing.
- Section 23 RPA 1950: No person's name to be removed without giving the concerned person opportunity to be heard
- Deletions are subject to Form 7 objection procedure — any person can object to a deletion within the claims period
- West Bengal SIR 2026: 63.66 lakh names deleted; 60.06 lakh names placed "under adjudication"
- Combined affected voters: approximately 1.2 crore (out of 7.66 crore registered voters — ~15.6% of electorate)
- Final electoral roll published: end of February 2026 (per official schedule)
- National Voter Service Portal (NVSP): voters can check status and file Form 6/7/8 online
Connection to this news: Mamata Banerjee's sit-in protest specifically targets the scale of deletions — 8.3% of the electorate (63.66 lakh) — as evidence of systematic disenfranchisement rather than routine cleansing of dead/migrated voters, and the 60 lakh "under adjudication" category as a mechanism for uncertainty ahead of elections.
Key Facts & Data
- West Bengal registered voters before SIR: ~7.66 crore
- Names deleted during SIR 2026: ~63.66 lakh (8.3% of electorate)
- Names placed "under adjudication": ~60.06 lakh
- Final voter count after SIR: ~7.04 crore
- SIR began: November 2025; Final roll published: February 2026
- West Bengal Assembly elections: Due in April–May 2026 (total seats: 294)
- Article 324: Constitutional authority for ECI over electoral rolls
- Section 21(3) RPA 1950: ECI's power to direct special revision at any time
- Previous SIR controversies: Assam (2018 NRC process overlap), Bihar (2015 pre-election roll revision)
- Mamata Banerjee: Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011; leader of Trinamool Congress (TMC)
- Political context: TMC vs BJP is the primary contest for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections