The announcement of the West Bengal Assembly Election schedule has triggered a massive controversy regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. While the Election Commission has confirmed that polling will take place in two phases on April 23 and 29, a dark cloud looms over the eligibility of millions of voters whose names are still marked as “Under Adjudication.”

The Shrinking Electorate and SIR: Before the SIR process was initiated, West Bengal had a total of 7.66 crore registered voters. However, the final draft published on February 28 shows the number of “eligible” voters at 6.44 crore. This indicates a massive deletion of nearly 1.21 crore names. Out of these, approximately 60 lakh cases are currently pending judicial review. These are citizens whose citizenship or residential status is being strictly verified by judicial officers appointed for the task.

Political Outcry Over Pending Names: Political parties in Bengal are questioning the Election Commission’s decision to announce poll dates without finalizing the voter list. The “Under Adjudication” status means that nearly 10% of the previous electorate is currently disenfranchised. The ECI clarified that the SIR was necessary to remove deceased voters, duplicates, and those who have permanently migrated. However, the sheer scale of pending cases has led to fears that many genuine voters might lose their right to vote.

The Deadline Pressure: With the current assembly term ending on May 7, the EC was bound by a constitutional deadline to complete the election process. It remains to be seen how many of these 60 lakh “pending” voters will be re-enlisted via supplementary rolls before the first phase of polling on April 23.