Election Commission of India revises rolls as Supreme Court of India monitors process and security
April 7, 2026: In a major development ahead of elections, the Election Commission of India has removed an additional 2.67 million voters from West Bengal’s supplementary electoral roll, taking the total deletions to over 9 million. The highest number of deletions has been reported from border districts such as Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Malda, and Nadia. With these changes, the state’s voter count has dropped significantly from 7.66 crore to 6.77 crore.
The revision process, part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), had earlier placed nearly 6 million voters under scrutiny. While around 3.2 million names have been verified and retained, the rest have been struck off the rolls. Nadia district recorded the highest percentage of deletions, raising political and social concerns given its demographic composition. The updated supplementary list was released late Monday after completing the scrutiny process.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has been closely monitoring the exercise, directing that millions of claims and objections be resolved swiftly. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant flagged concerns over threats to officials and ordered the formation of a three-member panel to streamline appeals across tribunals. The court emphasised the need for a fair, transparent process, noting that while initial scrutiny is nearly complete, the appeals process may continue for several weeks.