• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

West Bengal Election 2026: The first phase of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections saw a record-breaking voter turnout of 92.89 per cent, marking a 10.5 per cent increase over 2021. While many cite this figure as a major victory for democratic participation, it comes against the deletion of 9.08 million names from the voter list.

West Bengal SIR

On the orders of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a special, in-depth revision of the voter list was conducted in West Bengal to remove deceased, duplicate and invalid entries, as well as voters who had migrated. This process led to the removal of 9.08 million names, approximately 12 per cent of the electorate, bringing the total voter base down to 67.5 million.

ALSO READ: ‘Wave of Change’: PM Modi Predicts BJP Victory In Bengal After Record Phase 1 Turnout

Decoding The Mathematics Of Turnout

Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the total number of eligible voters for the first phase remained at 36.1 million. Of the 36.1 million, 33.5 million cast their votes, taking the voter turnout to 92.8 per cent. Analysts suggest that this percentage is mathematically inflated due to the reduction in the overall voter base, Jagran.com reported.

Political Interpretations Of The Voter Turnout

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) have offered conflicting interpretations of these figures. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the record voter turnout signals a change in government, adding, "The sun of Trinamool's corruption and hooliganism has set."

The TMC, meanwhile, has alleged that the SIR was used to deliberately delete names in Muslim-majority areas.

ALSO READ: 'Conducting Polls But Can't Vote': 65 Election Duty Officers Removed From Bengal Voter List After SIR

Nearly 12.2 Lakh Names Removed In THESE Four Districts

In four districts that historically favoured the TMC, approximately 1.22 million names were removed from the voter list.

- Murshidabad (66 per cent Muslim population): A district where the TMC won 20 of 22 seats in 2021; it saw a high volume of voter removals.

- Malda (51 per cent Muslim population): A region where the TMC previously won eight out of 12 seats.


- North and South 24 Parganas (26 per cent and 36 per cent Muslim population): These critical strongholds, where the TMC won 57 of 64 seats in 2021, also saw significant deletions.

Voter Deletions In BJP-Held Constituencies

The SIR also impacted seats won by the BJP in the previous election.

- In Dinhata (Cooch Behar), over 10,000 names were removed from the electoral rolls.

- A similar pattern of voter deletions was witnessed in Balarampur (Purulia) and Moyna (East Medinipur).

Impact Of Voter Turnout

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the TMC secured a 9.87 per cent lead in vote share over the BJP. This time, a total of 9.08 million names have been removed from the electoral rolls, slightly higher than the TMC's previous victory margin. Deletions occurred in 82.7 per cent of the seats won by the TMC in 2021, including narrow-margin victories in seats such as Paschim Bardhaman and Dakshin Dinajpur, the report added.

According to the experts, the final outcome will depend heavily on the demographic and regional distribution of these deletions. The reduction in the voter base can potentially impact both the major parties, adding a layer of uncertainty to the election results.


Also In News