SIR in Bengal: North Kolkata Sees Maximum Deletions, 58 Lakh Names Removed; 1 Crore More Under Scanner

The draft electoral roll of West Bengal has so far seen 58,20,899 names deleted.

These include 24.16 lakh deceased voters (3.15%), 32.65 lakh shifted or absent voters (4.26%), and 1.38 lakh voters registered at multiple locations (0.18%). Most deletions stem from unreturned verification forms or cases where voters were reported deceased, relocated, absent, or duplicated.

Kolkata North recorded the highest deletion rate, with 25% of voter names removed. At the constituency level, Chowringhee leads in absolute numbers with over 74,000 deletions, while Jorasanko has the highest proportion, exceeding 36%.

In absolute terms, South 24 Parganas saw the largest number of deletions at over eight lakh, followed by North 24 Parganas with more than seven lakh removals.

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal emphasized that no valid voter will be removed. Those called for hearings can present documents, and any rejection can be appealed.

Additionally, the Election Commission has flagged over one crore residents whose voter status cannot be fully verified. These individuals may be summoned for hearings, and if information is found invalid, their names may be deleted.

Analysis of uncollectable forms shows that deletions are primarily due to death, permanent migration, untraceable voters, or multiple enrolments. Key figures include:

Jorasanko: 72,899 uncollectable forms

Chowringhee: 74,510 forms (highest absolute)

Beleghata: 8.62% death-related, 10.53% permanent migration

Howrah Uttar: 26.96% uncollectable, 11.57% due to permanent migration

Kolkata South (Kolkata Port): 26.17% uncollectable

Ballygunge: 25.54% uncollectable

Kolkata North dominates the deletions, accounting for six of the nine constituencies analyzed, highlighting concentrated irregularities in the northern part of the city.