The recent Summary Revision of the electoral roll (SIR) has resulted in a significant purge of voters in a key West Bengal constituency. In the Bhowanipore assembly seat, represented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a staggering 44,787 electors have been deleted from the list. This constitutes a massive 21.7% of the total electorate that existed before the revision process began.
Breaking Down the Deletions in Bhowanipore
The constituency previously had 2,06,295 registered voters. The current exercise, which concluded recently, saw nearly one in every five names being struck off. The breakdown of the 44,787 deletions reveals specific reasons for the removal. Official data indicates that 10,897 electors were deceased, while a larger group of 19,471 individuals could not be traced by officials. Furthermore, 12,547 people had permanently shifted to a new address, and the list also contained 1,097 duplicate entries.
Interestingly, the cleanup was evident even at the Chief Minister's own polling station. At Mitra Institution's Booth No. 260, 127 names were excluded, with 13 of those belonging to deceased individuals. The majority of omissions here were also due to voters being untraceable or having relocated permanently.
On-Ground Verification and Political Scrutiny
On the ground, the process of claims and objections saw a relatively quiet start. Seven Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were present at centers from 10 am. At Mitra Institution, it was largely uneventful with only about 50 people turning up to verify their names, and all were confirmed to be on the list. BLO Sharmishtha Banerjee noted, "Everyone who submitted their forms had their names on the list. There was hardly any error." She added that they anticipate more queries over the coming weekends as the weekday timing from 10 am to 4 pm may have limited turnout.
However, the final number of deletions may still rise. A BLO indicated that 12% of electors, or 24,737 individuals, are yet to be mapped. While their names currently remain, they could be called for hearings to provide documents to prove their identity and residency, potentially leading to further exclusions.
From the onset, political parties had closely monitored the SIR process, especially in crucial assembly seats like Bhowanipore, analyzing its potential impact. The publication of these figures has brought the scale of the revision into sharp focus. It is noteworthy that while Mamata Banerjee won the last assembly election from Bhowanipore, her party, the Trinamool Congress, trailed in five out of the eight municipal wards within the constituency.
A Wider Trend Across Kolkata
Bhowanipore is not the only constituency in South Kolkata to witness such a large-scale cleanup. In the Kolkata Port assembly seat, represented by Minister and Mayor Firhad Hakim, the SIR 2025 exercise saw more than one in four voter names being deleted. This constituency also has 29,248 unmapped electors who may face further scrutiny, indicating a comprehensive drive to refine the electoral rolls across the city.
The substantial revision underscores the Election Commission's ongoing effort to create accurate and updated voter lists, a process that carries significant political weight in the lead-up to future elections.
