The Election Commission (EC) will publish the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral rolls for West Bengal on February 28, listing all 7.08 crore names from the draft rolls and categorising each entry as “approved,” “deleted” or “adjudication/under consideration,” an EC official said. The SIR is a focused exercise to verify and update voter records ahead of elections.
This publication is not the final voters’ list: supplementary rolls will continue to be issued in phases while scrutiny and adjudication of cases flagged for “logical discrepancy” proceed. Voters placed under “adjudication” will be ineligible to vote until formally cleared, and entries marked “deleted” will remain visible in the lists without reasons. Aggrieved electors will have avenues to seek restoration under EC procedures.
The SIR process concluded on February 25; names verified by that date will appear as “approved.” About 60 lakh voters referred to judicial officers for further scrutiny will be listed under “adjudication” and remain temporarily disenfranchised. At the time the SIR was notified, the state had 7.66 crore registered voters.
After the first phase of revision, 58 lakh names were deleted for reasons including death, migration, duplication or untraceability, reducing the electorate to 7.08 crore in the December 16 draft rolls. The second phase examined 1.67 crore electors, of whom 1.36 crore were flagged for logical discrepancies and 31 lakh lacked proper mapping.
Printing of the published lists will begin on February 27. From February 28, the rolls will be available at district and sub-divisional offices, polling booths and online, allowing voters to check the status of their entries. Fresh applicants will be included through supplementary rolls issued in subsequent phases, which will run alongside ongoing elections.
The revision has generated political controversy ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged a conspiracy to remove more than 1.2 crore genuine voters and claimed about 20 lakh were deleted after the February 14 hearing deadline. The Trinamool Congress warned such deletions could disenfranchise eligible voters, while the EC said the exercise aims to improve accuracy by removing ineligible entries.
With each voter now assigned a clear status, political parties are expected to closely scrutinise the published rolls; the release will be central to verifying entries, resolving disputes and shaping the electoral landscape as adjudication and supplementary updates continue.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/02/27/ec-to-release-wb-voter-rolls-post-sir-on-feb-28/
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Publish Date: 2026-02-27 04:50:00
