West Bengal SIR: Mamata Banerjee Slams EC, Center, Says Votes Of Specific Community Being Deleted

West Bengal faces scrutiny over alleged selective deletions from voter rolls following the EC's revision. Claims of neutral impact are contested, with calls for legal remedies and transparency ahead of the assembly elections.

Updated: Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 19:22 [IST]

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged large‑scale, selective deletion of names from the state’s voter rolls, claiming that many citizens risk losing their voting rights ahead of the coming assembly elections after the Special Intensive Revision exercise carried out by the Election Commission.

Speaking at a rally in Chakdaha in Nadia district, Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress would help people whose names disappeared from the electoral register after the revision. According to the Election Commission, nearly 91 lakh voters have been removed from West Bengal rolls after the post‑SIR update, news agency PTI reported.

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West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee alleged the Election Commission selectively removed 91 lakh names from voter rolls during a revision exercise, disproportionately affecting certain communities ahead of the April 23 and 29 assembly polls. Following intervention, 32 lakh names were restored.

West Bengal voter rolls and assembly polls

The chief minister said many deletions had later been reversed because of legal steps. Mamata Banerjee stated that "Following her intervention in the Supreme Court, around 32 lakh names out of nearly 60 lakh cases under 'adjudication' had been restored," and said this showed the scale of earlier exclusions.

Mamata Banerjee further claimed that the voter list changes were not neutral. The chief minister alleged that "names were being removed from official records by targeting specific communities," arguing that certain groups were hit harder, and suggesting that administrative decisions around West Bengal voter rolls carried political implications.

Political debate on West Bengal voter rolls

The dispute has sparked wider questions about legal remedies for disenfranchised voters. One public poll asked, "Do you believe that judicial interventions can effectively address voter disenfranchisement? Yes, absolutely No, not really". The West Bengal assembly polls will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting on May 4.