West Bengal may head into its upcoming Assembly elections without a finalized electoral roll. Even as the Election Commission prepares to announce the poll schedule on Sunday afternoon, more than 6 million voter names in the state remain under scrutiny. The uncertainty over these “under consideration” voters has sparked fresh political and legal questions just days before the election process officially begins.
The Election Commission will unveil the election schedule during a press conference at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, where Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will address the media. Soon after the announcement, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal is expected to hold a meeting with representatives of all major political parties on Monday to discuss election-related arrangements.
However, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in West Bengal is still incomplete. Although the Commission has already published one electoral roll, more than 6 million names were marked as “under consideration.” According to Election Commission sources, an additional list may be published later this week, though the process remains subject to court approval.
Following directions from the Supreme Court, judicial officers appointed by the Calcutta High Court are currently examining discrepancies in the SIR process. More than 700 officials are involved in reviewing voter data and verifying documentation across the state. On February 28, the Election Commission released an incomplete electoral roll that listed 6,006,675 voters as “pending verification.”
West Bengal Polls May Be Announced Without Final Voter List: Fate of Over 6 Million ‘Pending’ Voters Still Uncertain
Recent updates suggest that around 1.8 million of those cases have already been resolved. In several districts, the process of clearing pending voter names has been completed. The progress is being monitored closely by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice Sujoy Paul, who is reportedly receiving daily updates on the review process.
According to sources, districts such as Bankura and Purulia have already completed the verification of pending voter names and could soon receive finalized voter lists. However, in districts like Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas, Uttar Dinajpur, and Malda, the process is still far from complete. These districts had a comparatively larger number of voters in the “under consideration” category.
Before the SIR process began, the total number of registered voters in West Bengal stood at 76,637,529. The provisional list published on February 28 showed 64,452,609 eligible voters after preliminary verification.
Once the scrutiny process is completed, the final voter lists will be submitted to the Election Commission by the Chief Justice’s office. The Commission will then release updated rolls. Officials say multiple supplementary voter lists may be published before polling begins, with at least one expected later this week.
However, releasing these lists requires the use of specialized software designed to handle the verification and publication process. Details about the software must be submitted to the court for approval before the lists can be officially released. West Bengal’s special election observer, Subrata Gupta, has reportedly been in New Delhi in recent days discussing the technical process involved.
Even after the election schedule is announced, the Commission has indicated that voter verification will continue. Any names cleared before the final date for nomination filing will be added to the electoral roll, allowing those individuals to vote.
The Supreme Court has also clarified that voters whose names are ultimately excluded from the list may appeal before a special judicial tribunal. However, there remains uncertainty about how that process will function in practice.
Meanwhile, election officials have indicated that the Assembly elections in West Bengal may be conducted in fewer phases compared to previous polls. The first phase of voting is likely to take place after the Bengali New Year, sometime after April 15.
Whether the verification of all pending voter names will be completed before the first phase remains unclear. Since a finalized voter list is one of the fundamental requirements for conducting an election, the issue could once again reach the Supreme Court after the poll schedule is announced.
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