People wait in queues during hearings under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, at Krishnanagar, in Nadia, West Bengal. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
About six lakh more names are likely to be removed from the West Bengal voter list, as hearings for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State are set to end on February 14. In the first phase of the SIR, 58 lakh names were already removed from the State’s voter list, and the total number of electors dropped to 7.08 crore.
Sources at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal pointed out that, so far, approximately 6.25 lakh electors were absent from their SIR hearings.
Notices for ‘logical discrepancies’ in enumeration forms were issued to about 1.36 crore voters, and the details of 1.23 crore of them have been verified. While details are yet to be uploaded for a few lakh voters, about 6.25 lakh voters did not appear for their hearings despite notices being issued to them by the ECI.
DMs face CEC ire
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandani Chakravarty met ECI officials in the national capital on Friday. He was summoned to Delhi amidst reports that the State government had not implemented several directions, including orders to file FIRs against four officials and the suspension of another official involved in the SIR process. Six months ago, in August 2025, the then-West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant had also met ECI officials after the State government had refused to act against erring officials.
During the day, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar held a meeting with officials at the West Bengal CEO’s office, as well as the District Magistrates (DMs) who are also the District Electoral Officers. According to sources privy to the meeting, the Chief Election Commissioner expressed displeasure over the role of about half a dozen DMs involved in the SIR.
The CEC questioned how documents which are not accepted by the Commission were being uploaded and why DMs have not overseen the process. The DMs of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur were among those who faced the CEC ire. He directed that names of valid voters should not be struck off electoral rolls while no foreigners should be allowed in the electoral list.
The final voter list in the State is likely to be released on February 28. Elections to West Bengal Assembly are due in next few months.
Published – February 13, 2026 10:57 pm IST
