Bengal SIR: Election Commission Deletes Ex-MP Tarun Mondal’s Name in Latest Bengal Electoral Roll Revision

In a notable development ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the name of former Jaynagar Lok Sabha MP Tarun Mondal has been removed from the updated voter list released by the Election Commission of India.

Mondal, who won the Jaynagar parliamentary seat in 2009 on a ticket from the Socialist Unity Centre of India with support from the Congress-Trinamool alliance, was earlier placed in the "under consideration" category during the revision process. In the latest electoral roll, however, his name appears in the exclusion list, meaning he is no longer registered as a voter.

A medical professional by training, Mondal lives in the South Howrah Assembly constituency and was previously listed as a voter at Booth Number 279. Following the latest revision of the electoral rolls, his name has been deleted from the records.

Interestingly, the name of his wife Mahua, which had also been under review earlier, continues to remain in the voter list and has been retained as a valid entry.

Third Supplementary List Released

The voter list update comes as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being carried out in West Bengal. On Saturday night, the Election Commission published the third supplementary list linked to this process.

Officials said the supplementary lists contain names that fall under the "under adjudication" category following the publication of the revised electoral rolls on February 28. The second supplementary list had been released on Friday, while the first was issued earlier in the week.

Along with these lists, the commission also published deletion records detailing voters who were removed due to reasons such as duplication of entries, death, relocation, or inability to verify their presence.

Large-Scale Changes in Voter Rolls

The revision exercise has significantly reduced the number of registered voters in the state. During the initial enumeration phase of the SIR drive, about 58 lakh names were removed, bringing down the total electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore.

When the updated rolls were published on February 28, the number of eligible voters was further reduced to slightly over 7.04 crore. Meanwhile, more than 60 lakh names remain under scrutiny.

Bengal Gears Up for Assembly Polls

The revision of electoral rolls is taking place just weeks before the crucial assembly elections in West Bengal. The state will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.

The 294-seat assembly is expected to witness a fierce political contest between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Polling in the first phase will take place in districts including Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Darjeeling and Murshidabad, while the second phase will cover regions such as Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Nadia and the 24 Parganas.