Murshidabad: The publication of supplementary voter lists under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has triggered widespread alarm across Murshidabad district, as thousands of voters find their names struck off the rolls just weeks before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. In the Raninagar Assembly constituency, early data from recently released supplementary lists have revealed a staggering rate of exclusions, leaving both common citizens and local elected representatives in a state of deep consternation.
Massive Voter Deletions Trigger Alarm in Raninagar Constituency
According to the final SIR list published on February 28, Raninagar had 92,796 voters classified under the “under adjudication” category. As the Election Commission (EC) began releasing supplementary lists in phases throughout March, the sheer volume of deletions has become the focal point of local seething indignation. According to the recently published supplementary lists, the Raninagar Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district has witnessed a significant number of deletions. In just two booths, the number of excluded voters is estimated to be around 800. This suggests that nearly 72 percent of voters previously marked as “under adjudication” in these booths have had their names removed from the rolls.
For instance, Booth No. 69, located at Raghunathpur-Daulatpur Primary School in the Tekraypur area, recorded a high number of exclusions. As per the final SIR list issued on February 28, a total of 614 voters from this booth were placed under the “under adjudication” category. Following several weeks of document verification, the supplementary list for this booth was released recently. It shows that 442 of these voters have been removed from the rolls, while 172 have been retained. In percentage terms, approximately 71.9 percent of the voters initially under adjudication at this booth have been excluded. Officials and residents alike have reported challenges arising from the process, affecting stakeholders from Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to the general public.
Data Analysis: 72 Percent Exclusion Rate in Murshidabad Booths
A similar trend has been observed at the adjacent polling station, Booth No. 70, located at Haribhanga Daulatpur Madrasa Education Centre. This booth had 497 voters under review. According to the latest supplementary list, 359 names have been deleted, including 156 women, while 138 voters have been retained. This translates to approximately 72.2 per cent of the voters under adjudication being excluded from the list. Voters have expressed concern over the outcome of the verification process. Samiul Islam, a local resident, alleged, “All necessary documents were submitted in compliance with the rules, yet our names have been excluded. The Commission is not functioning in accordance with the regulations and appears to be acting in a biased manner.”
Locals affected by the revisions have raised concerns over what they describe as inconsistencies in the verification process. Asabul Sheikh, a local resident, said that despite submitting all necessary documents, his wife’s name was excluded from the list. “I submitted all of my wife’s identity documents, along with those of her parents. My name appears on the list, as do the names of my in-laws, but my wife’s name has been marked as ‘deleted.’ We have been in a state of anxiety since then,” he said. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from the affected polling stations have also expressed uncertainty over the large-scale deletions. Iqbal Sarkar, BLO for Booth No. 69, and Masuma Bibi, BLO for Booth No. 70, said that a significant number of names had been removed without a clear explanation. “Names have been deleted on a massive scale, and even we do not know the exact reasons. Most individuals submitted the required documents, yet their names were still excluded. In some cases, even members of our own families have been affected. This has led to growing resentment among the public, and in many instances, people believe the errors are on our part. But we have limited control over the process,” they said.
Samserganj SIR Crisis: Up to 98 Percent of Voters Struck Off
When contacted, Saikat Biswas, Block Development Officer (BDO) of Raninagar-I Block, declined to comment in detail. “We have nothing to say on this matter at present. The issue is currently under the purview of the judicial authorities,” he stated. Meanwhile, a similar pattern of large-scale deletions has been reported from the 56 Samserganj Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district. Supplementary lists from several polling stations indicate a strikingly high proportion of voters who have been removed from the rolls.
At Polling Station No. 97, Housennagar Shishu Shiksha Kendra, the total number of voters under the “under adjudication” category stood at 439. Of these, only 27 names have been retained, while 412 have been deleted, amounting to approximately 93.8 percent. At Polling Station No. 98, Housennagar Junior High School, 694 out of 750 voters under adjudication have been excluded. Similarly, at Polling Station No. 99, Chaksapur Bipin Mandal Smriti Primary School, 397 out of 402 pending voters have been removed, representing about 98.8 percent. The trend continues across other polling stations in the constituency. At Polling Station No. 100, 379 out of 386 voters have been deleted. At Polling Station No. 101, 539 out of 551 voters have been excluded, while at Polling Station No. 102, 600 out of 608 names have been struck off. Further, at Polling Station No. 103, 669 out of 687 pending voters have been removed, and at Polling Station No. 104, 488 out of 495 voters have been excluded.
Human Rights Concerns Over Systematic Exclusion in Bengal
The figures point to an unusually high rate of deletions across multiple booths, raising concerns among residents and observers over the scale and consistency of the ongoing revision process. Abdul Goni Khan, Secretary of the Domkal branch of the human rights organisation APDR, expressed concern over the scale of voter deletions in Murshidabad. Speaking to eNewsroom India, he alleged that thousands of names have been removed from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, leaving many residents uncertain about their electoral status.
He also criticised what he described as a lack of adequate public response to the issue. “In Murshidabad, the names of thousands of people have been struck off the voter list amid the SIR process, raising serious concerns about their rights. However, the response from the general public has been largely muted,” he said. Goni further claimed that Murshidabad appears to be among the worst-affected districts in the state in terms of voter deletions. “Despite the scale of the issue, there seems to be a sense of apathy among sections of the population. Many people do not appear to fully grasp the potential implications of their names being excluded from the electoral rolls,” he added. He urged greater awareness and engagement from the public, emphasising the need for people to address the issue through appropriate legal and democratic means.
Political Betrayal: Leaders Vanish Amid Mass Voter Disenfranchisement
Alamgir Hossain, a local teacher, attributed the ongoing crisis to what he described as the role of political parties in the process. Speaking to eNewsroom India, he alleged that competing political interests have contributed significantly to the current situation. “The political parties, through their actions, bear a large share of responsibility for this crisis. In their attempts to strengthen their electoral position, ordinary citizens have been drawn into the process without fully understanding its implications,” he said.
Hossain further claimed that, ahead of the elections, many party workers actively distributed SIR-related forms among residents, presenting them as measures intended for public benefit. “People were led to believe that these steps were meant to safeguard their interests. However, many now feel that they were encouraged to participate in a process whose consequences they did not anticipate,” he added. He also criticised what he described as the absence of political leadership at a time when concerns over voter exclusions have intensified. “Today, when many are facing uncertainty regarding their names on the electoral rolls, those leaders who had earlier engaged closely with the public are no longer visible,” he said.
Muted Public Response and Growing Fear in Murshidabad District
According to Hossain, the situation has also affected the scope for collective public response. “There appears to be a sense of confusion and fear among the people. The expected mobilisation or unified response has not materialised, leaving many residents uncertain about how to address their grievances,” he added. The scale of the exclusion remains unprecedented, and the silence from the corridors of power has only deepened the anxiety on the ground. As the countdown to the 2026 assembly polls begins, the residents of Murshidabad are left navigating a bureaucratic maze that threatens to strip them of their most fundamental democratic right—the right to vote.
