India
West Bengal Election Data Shows TMC Wins in Seats with Highest Voter Roll Deletions
The Election Commission of India (ECI) data released on February 28 shows that the five West Bengal constituencies with the most names struck off the voter rolls in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of the 2026 assembly election were all won by the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The affected seats—Sujapur, Raghunathganj, Samserganj, Ratua and Suti—are located in Malda and Murshidabad districts, both of which border Bangladesh. Sujapur, for example, lost 150,410 names at the initial stage but regained 114,766 before nominations closed. The five seats with the least deletions, each losing between 8,254 and 9,309 names (about 3% to 4%), were all won by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The overall voter turnout in West Bengal was 93.71%, the highest since independence, surpassing Tripura’s 93.61% from 2013. The BJP formed the government in the state for the first time, a result that the opposition has linked to the SIR process. The ECI has rejected allegations of “vote chori” and said the revision was necessary to ensure an accurate roll. It clarified that 95.40 crore voters were reviewed in the three phases of the SIR exercise, of whom 13.39 crore were categorized under ASDD (Absent, Permanently Shifted, Dead or Duplicate). The commission maintains that eligible electors can apply for review and inclusion in the rolls. The opposition has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after a news report raised questions about some decisions of the poll body. The BJP has accused the opposition of double standards, noting that it raises objections only when poll outcomes are unfavorable. The ECI also highlighted that West Bengal’s 93.71% turnout was higher than the turnout in many other major democracies, including Singapore, Australia and Belgium, where voting is compulsory.