West Bengal SIR: 58 Lakh Names Struck Off, North Kolkata Tops List; 1 Crore More Scrutinized

The draft electoral roll for West Bengal has seen the deletion of 58,20,899 voter names so far.

According to official data, the removals include 24.16 lakh deceased voters (3.15%), 32.65 lakh voters who have shifted or are absent (4.26%), and 1.38 lakh voters registered at multiple locations (0.18%). Most deletions are linked to unreturned verification forms or cases where voters were reported deceased, shifted, absent, or duplicated in the rolls.

Kolkata North has recorded the highest percentage of deletions, with 25% of names removed. At the constituency level, Chowringhee leads in absolute numbers with over 74,000 deletions, while Jorasanko has the highest proportion, with more than 36% of voters removed.

In absolute figures, South 24 Parganas saw the largest number of deletions, exceeding eight lakh, followed by North 24 Parganas with over seven lakh removals. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal assured voters that no valid voter would be removed. Those called for hearings can present their documents, and any rejection can be appealed.

The Election Commission has also flagged over one crore residents whose voter status cannot be fully verified. These individuals may be summoned for hearings, after which their names could be removed if the information is found invalid.

Analysis of uncollectable electoral forms across constituencies in Kolkata North, Kolkata South, and Howrah shows deletions largely stem from death, permanent migration, untraceable voters, multiple enrolments, and similar reasons.

Key figures from Kolkata North include:

Jorasanko: 72,899 uncollectable forms (highest overall)

Chowringhee: 74,510 uncollectable forms (highest in absolute numbers)

Beleghata: 8.62% death-related deletions; 10.53% permanent migration

In Howrah Uttar, 26.96% of forms were uncollectable, with 11.57% due to permanent migration. In Kolkata South, Kolkata Port recorded 26.17% uncollectable forms, while Ballygunge saw 25.54%, reflecting a mix of deaths, untraceable voters, and migration.