West Bengal electoral roll deletions under SIR raise wider rights concerns, say Bhushan and Yadav

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and activist Yogendra Yadav raised concerns over West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, citing large-scale deletions. With Election Commission of India data indicating about 91 lakh names removed, they warned the impact could extend beyond voting rights to other identity-linked entitlements, including document checks such as Aadhaar.

Concerns have grown over voter deletions in West Bengal after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and activist Yogendra Yadav said the exercise could affect more than voting rights. The comments came as the Election Commission data showed a large drop in registered electors after the revision.

Nearly 91 lakh voters have been deleted from West Bengal’s electoral rolls after the SIR, according to Election Commission figures. The poll panel has not yet declared the final voter base after the revision. Based on 7.66 crore electors listed at the end of October last year, deletions so far total over 11.85 per cent.

Special Intensive Revision SIR and fear of wider identity checks

Yadav said the impact could spread beyond elections into other identity-linked entitlements. "Today, it is the voters list. Tomorrow, questions may be raised about the authenticity of identity documents like Aadhaar.\" Yadav added that people removed from the rolls could face early scrutiny under other identification systems.

Bhushan said losing voting rights could weaken other democratic protections. \"If the right to vote is taken away, it opens the door for other rights to be diluted or withdrawn. What we are witnessing is not an isolated exercise but something that could fundamentally alter the relationship between citizens and the state,\" Bhushan said.

Special Intensive Revision SIR figures and alleged anomalies in West Bengal

Citing data, Yadav questioned why deletions were so high in a state where rolls earlier tracked closely with the adult population. Yadav also claimed the state differed from others between draft and final lists. \"This divergence suggests that something unusual has occurred here,\" Yadav said.

Yadav also alleged the removals after verification hit some communities more than others. Yadav pointed to examples at the constituency level and said the trend did not look random. \"If such disproportionate figures do not indicate targeted action, it is difficult to explain what does,\" Yadav said.

Special Intensive Revision SIR and Supreme Court of India hearing next week

The remarks came ahead of hearings in the Supreme Court of India, expected early next week. The court is set to hear petitions that challenge the SIR of electoral rolls. Bhushan also claimed earlier efforts to reshape citizenship rules had not succeeded, and other methods were now being used.

Economist Parakala Prabhakar said the effects could extend beyond the next election cycle. Prabhakar warned of a split between people who keep voting rights and those excluded. Prabhakar said this could weaken universal adult franchise. \"The judiciary now has an opportunity to reaffirm and protect the foundational principles of the Constitution,\" Prabhakar said.

With inputs from PTI