As the first stage of West Bengal’s three-level special intensive revision (SIR) draws to a close, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has uncovered a staggering number of irregularities in the state’s voters’ list. As of the evening of 29 November, officials report that 18.70 lakh deceased voters still linger on the rolls, a haunting reminder of the need for rigorous electoral cleansing.

Sources from the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO), West Bengal, reveal that the ECI has now expanded its estimate of names likely to be struck off the draft voters’ list, which is set for publication on 9 December, to an eye-popping 35 lakh. This figure encompasses the deceased, as well as duplicate entries, untraceable voters, and those who have permanently relocated to other states.

“The estimate reflects the digitisation of enumeration forms collected from voters,” an insider from the CEO’s office explained. “As of Saturday evening, 88.5 per cent of the forms have been digitised. The final number of deletions is expected to rise further once the process is fully complete. The full picture will emerge with the release of the draft voters’ list on 9 December.”

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West Bengal’s electoral roll is immense: as of 27 October 2025, it lists 7.66 crore voters, each of whom plays a role in shaping the state’s political destiny. The SIR, which commenced on 4 November, is slated to conclude by the end of March next year, marking the first such comprehensive exercise in the state since 2002.

Under the SIR protocol, voters whose names — or the names of their parents — appear in the 2002 rolls will automatically retain their eligibility. Those absent from that historic list must furnish at least one of the 11 identity documents specified by the ECI to ensure their names remain in the rolls.

Notably, Aadhaar cards have been added as the 12th valid document, though applicants must still present an additional document from the original list to satisfy verification requirements.

As West Bengal marches through this meticulous process, the SIR promises to cleanse the electoral rolls of errors and duplications, ensuring a transparent, credible, and robust voter list — a crucial foundation for the democratic process in one of India’s most politically vibrant states.

With IANS inputs