The Election Commission of India has published the draft electoral roll for West Bengal following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision process. The draft list has been released to allow voters to verify their details and raise objections or seek corrections before the final roll is prepared.
According to the draft, a large number of names have been removed from the voter list during the revision exercise. Over 58 lakh names have been deleted, mainly due to reasons such as death of voters, migration to other places, duplication, or voters being untraceable during verification. After these deletions, the draft electoral roll now contains around 7.08 crore voters in the state.
The Special Intensive Revision involved door-to-door verification by booth level officers and scrutiny of enumeration forms submitted by voters. The Election Commission has stated that the exercise was carried out to ensure accuracy and transparency in the electoral rolls ahead of future elections.
Voters whose names are missing from the draft list or who find errors in their personal details have been given the opportunity to file claims and objections within the stipulated period. Applications for inclusion, correction, or deletion can be submitted to the concerned electoral authorities. After examining all claims and objections, the Election Commission will publish the final electoral roll.
The publication of the draft roll has drawn political attention, with several parties closely monitoring the deletions and urging voters to verify their status to ensure that no eligible voter is left out.