Kolkata: As many as 58 lakh voters have been deleted from the draft electoral list released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for West Bengal. Of these, 24 lakh voters have been declared dead, 12 lakh declared missing, and around 1.3 lakh marked as duplicate voters.
The number of deletions in West Bengal is significantly lower than what Bihar has witnessed. Rajasthan has also recorded deletions of around 41 lakh voters.
“The bogey created by the BJP about proxy voters and infiltrators casting votes in Bengal has been demystified by the data released by the ECI,” said Sabir Ahamed, a Kolkata-based researcher associated with Pratichi.
ECI Deletion Data Challenges Assumptions on Voter Exclusions
According to deletion data available on the ECI’s website, across most Assembly constituencies, non-Muslims have been excluded in much larger numbers than Muslims. “These data challenge the narrative that SIR exclusions are primarily about supposed ‘Muslim infiltrators’,” he said.
A recent analysis of the unmapped population by the SABAR Institute, conducted after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, revealed a striking pattern across Assembly constituencies (ACs), with clear demographic trends emerging.
For the uninitiated, unmapped voters are those whose details could not be matched with the 2002 voters’ list issued by the ECI.
Bally, Bidhannagar, Gaighata (SC), Habra, Dum Dum, Rashbehari, Bagda (SC), Howrah Uttar, Darjeeling, Kolkata Port, Bhabanipur, Kalyani (SC), Ashoknagar, Jagatdal, Rajarhat Gopalpur, Bangaon Uttar (SC), Ranaghat Uttar Purba (SC), Madhyamgram, Dum Dum Uttar and Panihati have emerged as the top 20 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal with the highest number of unmapped voters.
Unmapped Voters Analysis Reveals Distinct Demographic Patterns
“These constituencies have an average Muslim population of 13.75 per cent, which is significantly lower than the state average of 27 per cent. This indicates that Muslims are underrepresented in constituencies where the share of unmapped voters is the highest,” explained Ashin Chakraborty, a research analyst with the SABAR Institute.
Chakraborty’s co-researcher Souptik Haldar added, “Data from Kolkata Port reveal that 60 per cent of deleted voters from the much-talked-about constituency were non-Muslims. Shockingly, this is the exact opposite of what has been propagated by the BJP and even the ECI.”
Data analysed by the researchers further indicate that most deleted non-Muslim voters belong to non-Bengali communities. “Saha and Kumar were the surnames most frequently recorded among deleted voters,” said Chakraborty. He added that a possible reason for this trend could be that many non-Bengali voters had enrolled themselves in Bihar and therefore opted out of West Bengal’s SIR exercise.
In contrast, the top 20 Assembly constituencies with the lowest share of unmapped voters present a very different picture. These include Domkal (one of the constituencies with the highest Muslim populations in the state), Magrahat Purba (SC), Keshpur (SC), Katulpur (SC), Patharpratima, Indus (SC), Sujapur, Magrahat Paschim, Suti, Pursurah, Dantan, Malatipur, Ratua, Moyna, Kanthi Uttar, Hariharpara, Sabang, Mandirbazar (SC), Khejuri (SC), and Rejinagar.
“On average, these constituencies have a Muslim population of around 40 per cent, far above the state average of 27 per cent. This suggests that Muslims are overrepresented in Assembly constituencies with the lowest share of unmapped voters,” Haldar said.
When asked about border districts, Ahamed noted, “The average share of unmapped voters stands at 7.8 per cent, nearly double the state average in the Matua belt. This points to a significant overrepresentation of Matuas among the unmapped voter population.”
Chakraborty added, “For years, a section of influential political leaders has claimed that Muslim infiltrators have entered West Bengal and are voting illegally. This data-based evidence clearly shows that the reality is very different.”
Asked about the potential impact of this data on voters in West Bengal, Chakraborty said the analysis indicates that Muslims are less likely to be affected by voter mapping issues, as most possess the required documentation. “If the Special Intensive Revision leads to large-scale exclusion, it will not be Muslims who are hit the hardest. The data suggests that Matuas are likely to face the maximum exclusion, as they are disproportionately represented among unmapped voters,” he added.
