What Happened
- Nearly 91 lakh names (approximately 11.62% of the electorate) were removed from West Bengal's voter rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India ahead of the 2026 Assembly Elections.
- The total number of registered voters in West Bengal fell from approximately 7.66 crore to 6.77 crore after the revision; results for the first phase of the election are scheduled for May 4, 2026.
- Of the 91 lakh deletions, approximately 27 lakh (45% of identified "doubtful" voters) were removed after adjudication at the district level; Murshidabad district recorded the highest number of deletions at approximately 4.5 lakh.
- The deletions have become politically contentious, with the ruling party alleging that the SIR disproportionately targeted minority communities, while the opposition argued it was essential electoral roll cleansing to remove bogus and duplicate entries.
- The Supreme Court, when petitioned, observed that those deleted could exercise their rights in future elections, declining to stay the SIR process.
Static Topic Bridges
Election Commission of India — Constitutional Status and Electoral Roll Powers
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established under Article 324, which vests in it the superintendence, direction, and control of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, the office of the President, and the office of the Vice-President. The ECI is an independent authority — its members can only be removed through a process similar to that for a Supreme Court judge (for the Chief Election Commissioner), providing institutional insulation from executive pressure.
- Article 324(1): ECI has plenary power over superintendence, direction, and control of elections; this power is not fettered by ordinary legislation.
- Under Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the ECI can order a "special revision" of electoral rolls at any time for reasons recorded — this is the statutory basis for SIR.
- The Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) at district level are responsible for day-to-day preparation and revision of rolls.
- Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct house-to-house verification during intensive revision exercises.
- The Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 amended the Representation of the People Act to link Aadhaar with voter ID (voluntarily) to de-duplicate entries.
Connection to this news: The SIR in West Bengal is conducted under Article 324 read with Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 — understanding these provisions is essential to evaluating the legality and scope of the exercise.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — Process, History, and Significance
SIR is the most comprehensive form of electoral roll revision, involving fresh house-to-house enumeration by BLOs in every polling booth. It differs from Summary Revision (which is a desktop exercise) and Continuous Updation (which handles individual additions/deletions). An SIR is conducted only in exceptional circumstances, given the scale of resources required.
- SIR has been conducted 13 times since 1952; the most recent prior to 2025 was in 2004 — making the 2025 exercise the first in 21 years.
- The qualifying date for voter registration is January 1 of the year in which the revision is published.
- Deletion criteria include: death, permanent migration, shifting out of constituency, and duplicate/bogus entries.
- "Doubtful" voter entries flagged during SIR are subject to an adjudication process: the registered voter receives a notice and can appear before the ERO to prove eligibility before deletion.
- The Supreme Court, in People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India (2013), upheld the ECI's right to clean electoral rolls but emphasised fair procedures before deletion.
Connection to this news: The 45% deletion rate (91 lakh from West Bengal's rolls) is unusually high, raising questions about whether adjudication procedures were sufficiently robust — a core UPSC Mains analytical question around ECI independence and procedural fairness.
Representation of the People Act, 1950 and 1951 — Electoral Framework
India's electoral framework rests on two statutes: the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA 1950 — deals with delimitation, allocation of seats, and electoral rolls) and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA 1951 — deals with conduct of elections, disqualifications, offences, and election disputes). Together, these acts operationalise the constitutional provisions on elections.
- RPA 1950, Section 16: Disqualification for registration — a person must not be a citizen of another country, must be of sound mind, and must not be otherwise disqualified.
- RPA 1950, Section 21: Powers of ECI to prepare and revise electoral rolls including special intensive revision.
- RPA 1951, Section 100: Grounds for declaring an election void — includes corrupt practices, non-compliance with constitutional provisions, and improper acceptance or rejection of nomination.
- The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is not statutory but is enforced by ECI under Article 324 as a convention, becoming operational from the date of announcement of the election schedule.
Connection to this news: The SIR and adjudication process is governed by RPA 1950; challenges to deletions can be made to the ERO and appealed to the Chief Electoral Officer or High Courts, illustrating how the statutory framework balances roll accuracy with voter rights.
Delimitation and Constituency Boundaries
Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on census data. It is carried out by the Delimitation Commission (established under the Delimitation Act, 2002), which is a temporary body constituted by the President. Delimitation orders cannot be challenged in any court (Article 329(a)).
- Article 82 and Article 170(3) mandate fresh delimitation after each census to adjust seats to population changes.
- The 42nd Amendment, 1976 froze delimitation until after the 2001 census; the 84th Amendment, 2001 further froze the total number of Lok Sabha seats until after the 2026 census.
- West Bengal has 294 assembly constituencies; the current delimitation is based on the 2001 census data.
- Any significant deletion or addition of voters in a constituency can alter the effective voter-candidate ratio, affecting electoral competitiveness even without a formal delimitation.
Connection to this news: The SIR's deletion of 91 lakh voters effectively changes the composition of West Bengal's electorate ahead of elections — in a state where margins in many constituencies are thin, this has significant electoral implications even without formal delimitation.
Key Facts & Data
- 91 lakh voters removed from West Bengal's electoral rolls after SIR (approximately 11.62% of the electorate).
- Pre-SIR total electorate: approximately 7.66 crore; post-SIR: 6.77 crore.
- Murshidabad topped the deletion list with approximately 4.5 lakh deletions.
- 27 lakh "doubtful voters" removed after adjudication (45% of those under scrutiny).
- SIR legal basis: Article 324, Constitution of India + Section 21(3), Representation of the People Act, 1950.
- The 2025-26 SIR is India's first Special Intensive Revision since 2004 (21-year gap).
- West Bengal 2026 Assembly Election Phase 1: April 23; Results: May 4, 2026.
- West Bengal has 294 assembly constituencies.