West Bengal Officers Raise Concerns Over Voter Roll Deletions

In West Bengal, government officers have raised alarms over the deletion of voters from the draft electoral rolls, claiming that the process violates legal provisions and disenfranchises eligible voters. The West Bengal Civil Service Executive Officers’ Association has urged for clearer guidelines to empower electoral registration officers, as the state prepares for upcoming Assembly elections in 2026. This issue is part of a broader electoral roll revision occurring in multiple states, including Bihar, where similar concerns have emerged. Read on to discover the implications of these developments on voter rights and electoral integrity.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 28, 2025, 18:21 IST

Concerns Over Voter Deletions in West Bengal

A group representing government officials in West Bengal has voiced strong objections regarding what they term the "system-driven deletion" of voters from the draft electoral rolls during the current revision process in the state.

In a communication directed to the Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the West Bengal Civil Service Executive Officers’ Association claimed that this procedure has overlooked the essential responsibilities of electoral registration officers.

The association highlighted that numerous voters, whose enumeration forms were not submitted due to reasons like death, migration, absence, or duplication, were removed from the draft rolls on the day they were published.

The Election Commission released the draft electoral rolls on December 16, which indicated that over 58 lakh voters had been removed.

According to the association, existing laws stipulate that a voter's name can only be removed under specific conditions, such as if the individual is no longer a resident of the constituency or is otherwise ineligible for registration.

They emphasized that in such instances, electoral registration officers are required to give voters a fair chance to be heard, as mandated by Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act of 1950.

The association contended that the mass deletion of voters appears to violate the rights of those who may still be eligible but were unable to participate in the enumeration process.

They also warned that names could be removed from the voter rolls without the electoral registration officer's knowledge, despite being the authorized entity under the law.

While recognizing the Election Commission's constitutional authority to direct electoral revisions, the association noted that affected voters might wrongly hold electoral registration officers accountable, unaware that they were excluded from the deletion process.

In light of these issues, the officers' association has urged the West Bengal chief electoral officer to provide clearer directives to empower electoral registration officers in their roles.

West Bengal is anticipated to conduct Assembly elections in the first half of 2026.

In addition to West Bengal, a special intensive revision of electoral rolls is also taking place in 11 other states and Union Territories.

In Bihar, where the revision was finalized ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for November, approximately 47 lakh voters were excluded from the final electoral roll published on September 30.

Concerns were raised in Bihar regarding the potential removal of eligible voters from the rolls, prompting several petitioners to approach the Supreme Court.