Web Desk: Millions of voters in India’s eastern state of West Bengal have been removed from electoral rolls ahead of a crucial state election, triggering allegations of large-scale disenfranchisement following a controversial revision exercise.
Election authorities say about 9.1 million names were deleted from the voter register, representing more than 10% of the electorate. Officials said the exercise removed deceased voters and duplicate entries, although around 2.7 million people reportedly challenged their exclusion and still found their names struck off.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been rolled out across several parts of India. The federal government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has described the exercise as a safeguard against what it calls “infiltrators,” a term widely understood to refer to alleged illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Home Minister Amit Shah has previously defended the initiative as necessary to protect the integrity of the electoral system and national security.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to end the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, with voting scheduled to begin this week.
Opposition leaders have sharply criticized the voter roll revision, calling it discriminatory and unconstitutional. Sagarika Ghose, a Trinamool Congress lawmaker, described the exercise as a serious violation of democratic rights, arguing that it undermines the principle of universal adult suffrage.
Some affected residents say they believe the deletions disproportionately impact minority communities, particularly Muslims, although authorities have not confirmed any such targeting.
Legal experts and opposition groups have challenged the SIR process in court, arguing it opens the door to political manipulation of voter lists. Critics have also questioned the independence of the Election Commission, which is overseeing the exercise.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said the rapid pace and methodology of the revision raised serious concerns. He argued that the process appeared rushed and risked undermining voter rights rather than improving accuracy.
He also questioned the use of algorithm-based screening tools introduced to detect what officials described as “logical discrepancies” in voter data.
Election officials reportedly deployed an AI-assisted system to flag inconsistencies in voter records, leading to additional verification requirements for millions of individuals. However, critics say the system failed to account for regional naming variations and cultural differences, leading to erroneous exclusions.
Experts noted that spelling variations in Bengali names and generational changes in surnames may have contributed to false flags, raising concerns about the reliability of automated screening.
Among those removed from the voter list are individuals with long public service records. Some voters say they discovered their exclusion only shortly before the election, with limited time to appeal.
In several cases, affected citizens report that despite submitting documentation, their names were not restored before polling day.
Political analysts and critics argue that the voter roll revision could reshape political participation in the state, raising fears of long-term exclusion of certain groups from the electoral process.
While the government maintains that the exercise is necessary for electoral integrity, critics warn it could deepen political polarisation and erode trust in democratic institutions ahead of a closely watched state election.
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