Lakhs of voters deleted from electoral rolls in Bihar and West Bengal

A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has resulted in the deletion of lakhs of voter names from electoral rolls in Bihar and West Bengal, preventing them from participating in the 2025 and 2026 Assembly elections. Bihar saw over 47 lakh deletions while West Bengal recorded nearly 91 lakh.

Affected voters have been left facing significant uncertainty and administrative hurdles. Those deleted must navigate complex paperwork and repeatedly prove their citizenship and eligibility to restore their voting status, a process that has created considerable hardship for many across both states.

The deletions have raised concerns about the scale and impact of the revision exercise on voter participation in upcoming state elections.