Massive Electoral Roll Cleanup Ahead of West Bengal Elections

The Election Commission (EC) is prepping for a major electoral roll cleanup in West Bengal, aiming to delete over 66 lakh names which were deemed ineligible. This massive revision process, a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), marks the commission's largest cleanup exercise in the state since 2002.

Early figures indicate that an additional eight lakh names will be removed beyond the initial 58 lakh deletions reported, with a significant portion categorized as 'under adjudication' — pending further scrutiny by judicial officers. The precise number of deletions and additions will be finalized in supplementary lists following the adjudication process.

The rollout of the comprehensive list in various phases reflects ongoing efforts to verify data integrity, amidst considerable political turbulence, revised document verification laws, and ongoing legal challenges. West Bengal's final rolls are a crucial step in ensuring voter authenticity ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, with the list classification process aligning with the Election Commission's directive for transparency.