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'Mass Purge' Ahead of Bengal Elections! 9.1 Million Voter Names Vanish; Results on 70 Seats Likely to Flip
Major Jolt to Bengal's Political Landscape as Voter List Undergoes 'Filtering'; 9.1 Million Names Excluded
Kolkata: Following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the voter list in West Bengal, the names of approximately 9.1 million voters have been removed from the rolls. Consequently, in the 2026 Assembly elections, specific polling stations across 65 to 70 of the state's 294 constituencies are expected to play a decisive role. It is being predicted that the margin of votes at these particular polling stations could potentially alter the final election results.
This action by the Election Commission is likely to trigger a significant shift in Bengal's political dynamics. Its impact is expected to be particularly pronounced in regions such as Nandigram, Bhabanipur, North 24 Parganas (the Matua belt), Murshidabad, and Malda. In these areas, MLAs were elected by a margin of just 623 to 8,000 votes during the 2021 Assembly elections; similarly, the victory margins in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were not particularly large either.
Key Highlights:
9.1 Million Names Removed: The SIR process resulted in the removal of a total of approximately 9.083 million names from the voter list. The Election Commission has clarified that these removed entries included duplicate names, names of deceased individuals, migrants, or invalid entries.
65-70 Decisive Seats: Certain specific polling stations within these constituencies were historically known for witnessing 'bloc voting' (bulk voting). Now, due to the removal of these names, the voting patterns in these areas are expected to undergo a change.
Affected Districts: A total of 70 Assembly seats across 11 districts have been impacted by this exercise.
Political Claims: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed confidence that the Trinamool Congress will win at least 215 seats and form the government. Conversely, the BJP has claimed that it will make a massive leap, increasing its tally from the current 77 seats to 170 seats. It appears that the BJP has factored in the changes resulting from the SIR process while making these projections. Political analysts believe that this process could deal a major blow to the Trinamool Congress government, as in many constituencies, the victory margin was smaller than the number of excluded voters. The Election Commission, however, has stated that this process is necessary to cleanse the electoral rolls.
Major Jolt to Bengal's Political Landscape as Voter List Undergoes 'Filtering'; 9.1 Million Names Excluded
Kolkata: Following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the voter list in West Bengal, the names of approximately 9.1 million voters have been removed from the rolls. Consequently, in the 2026 Assembly elections, specific polling stations across 65 to 70 of the state's 294 constituencies are expected to play a decisive role. It is being predicted that the margin of votes at these particular polling stations could potentially alter the final election results.
This action by the Election Commission is likely to trigger a significant shift in Bengal's political dynamics. Its impact is expected to be particularly pronounced in regions such as Nandigram, Bhabanipur, North 24 Parganas (the Matua belt), Murshidabad, and Malda. In these areas, MLAs were elected by a margin of just 623 to 8,000 votes during the 2021 Assembly elections; similarly, the victory margins in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were not particularly large either.
Key Highlights:
9.1 Million Names Removed: The SIR process resulted in the removal of a total of approximately 9.083 million names from the voter list. The Election Commission has clarified that these removed entries included duplicate names, names of deceased individuals, migrants, or invalid entries.
65-70 Decisive Seats: Certain specific polling stations within these constituencies were historically known for witnessing 'bloc voting' (bulk voting). Now, due to the removal of these names, the voting patterns in these areas are expected to undergo a change.
Affected Districts: A total of 70 Assembly seats across 11 districts have been impacted by this exercise.
Political Claims: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed confidence that the Trinamool Congress will win at least 215 seats and form the government. Conversely, the BJP has claimed that it will make a massive leap, increasing its tally from the current 77 seats to 170 seats. It appears that the BJP has factored in the changes resulting from the SIR process while making these projections. Political analysts believe that this process could deal a major blow to the Trinamool Congress government, as in many constituencies, the victory margin was smaller than the number of excluded voters. The Election Commission, however, has stated that this process is necessary to cleanse the electoral rolls.
Kolkata: Following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the voter list in West Bengal, the names of approximately 9.1 million voters have been removed from the rolls. Consequently, in the 2026 Assembly elections, specific polling stations across 65 to 70 of the state's 294 constituencies are expected to play a decisive role. It is being predicted that the margin of votes at these particular polling stations could potentially alter the final election results.
This action by the Election Commission is likely to trigger a significant shift in Bengal's political dynamics. Its impact is expected to be particularly pronounced in regions such as Nandigram, Bhabanipur, North 24 Parganas (the Matua belt), Murshidabad, and Malda. In these areas, MLAs were elected by a margin of just 623 to 8,000 votes during the 2021 Assembly elections; similarly, the victory margins in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were not particularly large either.
Key Highlights:
9.1 Million Names Removed: The SIR process resulted in the removal of a total of approximately 9.083 million names from the voter list. The Election Commission has clarified that these removed entries included duplicate names, names of deceased individuals, migrants, or invalid entries.
65-70 Decisive Seats: Certain specific polling stations within these constituencies were historically known for witnessing 'bloc voting' (bulk voting). Now, due to the removal of these names, the voting patterns in these areas are expected to undergo a change.
Affected Districts: A total of 70 Assembly seats across 11 districts have been impacted by this exercise.
Political Claims: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed confidence that the Trinamool Congress will win at least 215 seats and form the government. Conversely, the BJP has claimed that it will make a massive leap, increasing its tally from the current 77 seats to 170 seats. It appears that the BJP has factored in the changes resulting from the SIR process while making these projections. Political analysts believe that this process could deal a major blow to the Trinamool Congress government, as in many constituencies, the victory margin was smaller than the number of excluded voters. The Election Commission, however, has stated that this process is necessary to cleanse the electoral rolls.
