The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a significant revision of the voter database in West Bengal, publishing a draft electoral roll that shows a massive reduction in the number of enrolled voters. The draft list for 2026 reveals that a staggering 58 lakh (5.8 million) names have been deleted compared to the final electoral rolls of 2025.
What the Draft Publication Reveals
The draft rolls were published on December 16, 2025, as confirmed by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for West Bengal. The state's official Twitter handle, @CEOWestBengal, shared the announcement, urging citizens to verify their registration status. The deleted names belong to individuals who were listed in the state's electoral rolls for the year 2025 but have been excluded from the preliminary list prepared for 2026.
This extensive exercise is part of the EC's Special Summary Revision (SSR) 2.0 process, a systematic drive to clean up and update voter lists by removing duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries. The publication of the draft roll marks the beginning of a claims and objections period, allowing citizens to correct discrepancies.
Public Urged to Check Their Voter Status
In its social media post, the CEO West Bengal office issued a clear public advisory. The message, tagged with #SIR and #DraftVoterList, directed voters to immediately check the draft rolls to ensure their names are correctly listed. The commission has collaborated with official channels like PIB Kolkata and All India Radio (AIR) Kolkata to disseminate this critical information widely.
The EC's move underscores its commitment to maintaining an accurate and fraud-free electoral database. Such large-scale deletions typically follow intensive field verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and data-matching exercises to identify anomalies.
Implications and Next Steps for Voters
The removal of 58 lakh names is one of the most substantial voter list revisions in the state's recent history. It highlights the scale of potential inaccuracies that had accumulated in the system. For the democratic process, a purified roll is essential to ensure that voting rights are exercised legitimately and to prevent electoral malpractices.
The onus is now on citizens to proactively check the draft rolls online or at designated voter facilitation centers. Those who find their names missing, or spot errors in details, can file claims for inclusion or correction during the stipulated period. The final electoral roll will be published after considering all valid claims and objections.
This exercise is closely watched as West Bengal remains a key political battleground in India. An updated and accurate voter list forms the bedrock for free and fair elections, and the EC's current drive is a crucial step in that direction ahead of any future polls.
