In a significant administrative move, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has finalized the supplementary voter list for West Bengal, revealing that over 90 lakh names have been struck off.
While CM Mamata Banerjee had previously predicted a deletion of nearly 1.2 crore voters, the current figure stands just shy of the crore mark. Bengal now ranks second in the country for voter deletions under the SIR process, following Uttar Pradesh where 2 crore names were removed.
According to the latest ECI notification, out of 60 lakh names under adjudication, 27.16 lakh were deleted while 32.68 lakh new voters were added. Combined with the initial 63 lakh deletions in the draft list, the total number of removed voters has crossed 90 lakhs.
District-Wise Breakdown: Murshidabad saw the highest number of deletions with 4,55,137 names removed, followed by North 24 Parganas (3.25 lakh). Districts like Malda, Nadia, and South 24 Parganas also saw over 2 lakh deletions each. In Kolkata, the North division saw more removals (39,164) compared to the South (28,468). With the list officially ‘frozen’ as of Monday night, these final figures will determine the electorate for the crucial first phase of the Bengal elections.