West Bengal's Voter Enrollment Faces Challenges Ahead of Assembly Elections

The draft voters' list released in West Bengal reveals a concerning disparity between new voter applications and those excluded from the previous list. With only 3,24,800 new applications against over 58 lakh excluded voters, officials anticipate an increase as the deadline approaches. The final list will be published on February 14, ahead of crucial Assembly elections. The Election Commission has flagged numerous voters with questionable family-tree data, indicating potential challenges in the verification process. This situation raises significant concerns about the integrity of the voter enrollment process in the state.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 19, 2025, 11:40 IST

Voter Enrollment Statistics Raise Concerns

Kolkata, Dec 19: The recently released draft voters’ list on December 16 reveals a stark contrast between new voter applications and the number of voters removed from the previous list as of October 2025.

According to officials from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in West Bengal, only 3,24,800 applications for new voter enrollment have been submitted during the initial phase, which pales in comparison to the staggering 58,20,899 voters who were excluded from the earlier list.

Furthermore, the new applications are minimal when juxtaposed with the 30,59,273 unmapped voters—those lacking any association with the 2002 voters' list, the last time the Special Identification Register (SIR) was conducted in the state, either through self-mapping or progeny mapping.

The 3,24,800 applications submitted via Form-6 include individuals who have just turned 18, as well as those seeking to transfer their voter registration.

However, insiders from the CEO's office anticipate that this number will rise in the coming days, as there is ample time left for submitting Form-6. The final voters’ list is set to be published on February 14 next year, concluding the SIR process that commenced on November 4.

Following this, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the polling dates for the significant Assembly elections scheduled for next year.

The ECI has clarified that inclusion in the draft voters’ list, whether through self-mapping or progeny mapping, does not guarantee retention in the final list. This is particularly relevant as the Commission has flagged 1.60 crore voters with questionable family-tree data during the revision process.

Many of these voters with dubious family data will be called for hearings to clarify the inconsistencies. Examples include voters with identical names for both parents in the last list, those who became fathers at the age of 15 or younger, and individuals who became grandfathers by the age of 40 or younger. One case even involves a voter allegedly becoming a father of two sons at just five years old.