In a major pre-election update, the Election Commission of India has significantly altered West Bengal’s electoral rolls, deleting a staggering 90.83 lakh names. Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the revised district-wise list published late Monday night confirms that nearly 9.1 million individuals have been struck off the rolls, sparking intense political debate across the state.

According to Commission sources, out of approximately 60 lakh names previously kept “under adjudication,” only 32.68 lakh were successfully verified and added back to the final list. The remaining 27.16 lakh names were permanently removed after failing the scrutiny process. This, combined with the 63.66 lakh names deleted in the February 28 list, brings the total number of exclusions to over 90 lakhs.

Geographically, North 24 Parganas saw the highest number of deletions with 12.60 lakh names removed, followed by Murshidabad where over 7.48 lakh names were axed. Kolkata also witnessed a significant decline, with over 7 lakh names deleted across the North and South segments. Prior to this massive revision, West Bengal had 7.66 crore registered voters, but the current strength has diminished substantially. With the Assembly elections fast approaching, this large-scale deletion has raised concerns regarding the final voter turnout and its potential impact on the upcoming polls.