Protests in West Bengal’s Basirhat After 340 Muslim Voters Removed in First Supplementary List—Deletions Highest Amongst Minorities and Women

Key Points

Protests broke out in West Bengal’s Basirhat North Assembly constituency after 340 Muslim voters from a single polling booth were removed from the electoral roll, triggering allegations of targeted exclusion and raising concerns about transparency in the ongoing electoral revision process. The deletions were revealed in the ‘First Supplementary List’ published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 23 March 2026, as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise ahead of Assembly Elections.

The deletions took place at Booth No. 5 in Boro Gobra village under Begumpur Bibipur Gram Panchayat in Basirhat Block II, where affected residents and local officials staged demonstrations after the publication of the supplementary voter list. The voters, previously marked as “under adjudication” in the draft roll, were later moved to the “deleted” category in the updated list.

The move also drew attention after the name of Booth Level Officer (BLO) Md Shafiul Alam was found among those removed from the electoral roll. Alam, who had assisted voters during the SIR verification process, said he would approach a tribunal to seek restoration of his name.

According to officials, Booth No. 5 has a total of 992 registered voters. During the revision process, 358 voters were summoned for hearings to verify their eligibility. Of these, 18 cases were resolved in the draft roll, while the remaining 340 were placed under adjudication. Authorities stated that 38 names were removed as part of routine deletions due to death or relocation, while the rest were linked to eligibility verification issues.

Following the mass deletion, more than 100 residents staged protests outside local administrative offices and on nearby streets. Protesters alleged a lack of transparency and claimed that the removals disproportionately affected members of the Muslim community.

Affected voters also raised concerns about documentation requirements. One resident, Kajirul Mondal, said that although the ECI requires only one valid document, many voters submitted three or four documents during the verification process. Despite this, their names were removed from the list.

Md Shafiul Alam said he personally assisted many of the affected voters in filling forms and uploading documents as required under ECI guidelines. He added that attempts to seek clarification from authorities did not yield a resolution, with the Electoral Registration Officer reportedly unreachable.

See Also: Trinamool to offer legal help to individuals whose names are deleted in judicial adjudication: Mamata Banerjee

Bengal SIR Deletions and Discrepancies Disproportionately Target Muslims and Women?

The controversy has drawn further attention to the SIR process. The revision aims to clean electoral rolls by removing duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters, as well as entries with discrepancies or incomplete details. However, the Basirhat incident is part of broader concerns emerging across West Bengal, where large numbers of voters have been placed under adjudication or removed from electoral rolls.

Across the state, more than 63.66 lakh names were deleted from the final electoral rolls published on 28 February 2026, representing over 8.3% of the electorate from a base of 7.66 crore voters. Another 60 lakh voters remain under adjudication, with their voting rights currently under review.

Five districts account for over 58% of adjudicated names: Murshidabad, Malda, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and Uttar Dinajpur. Data from the revision indicates that nine of the ten districts with the highest number of voters under adjudication have Muslim populations of 50% or more. Murshidabad recorded about 1.10 million voters under adjudication, followed by Malda with around 0.83 million and North 24 Parganas with nearly 0.59 million.

In Raninagar assembly constituency in Murshidabad district, data from multiple booths showed a stark difference between Hindu majority and Muslim majority polling stations. Hindu majority booths recorded under adjudication rates below 3%, while Muslim majority booths saw between 35-58% of voters flagged for verification.

Residents in these areas reported confusion over reasons for adjudication. Some voters said they were questioned about family size, spelling variations in names, or minor discrepancies in documents. Others reported being asked to attend hearings without clear explanations.

The revision process has also affected millions across the state. More than 12 million voters in West Bengal have either been removed or placed under scrutiny following the SIR. Around 6.01 million voters remain under adjudication even after publication of the final electoral roll. Women also appear to have been disproportionately affected, constituting 53.6% –  5.8 million – of those removed from electoral rolls.

Several voters have attributed their inclusion in adjudication lists to technical or documentation issues. In some cases, spelling differences, missing surnames, or digitisation errors reportedly triggered verification notices. Officials involved in the process said digitisation and automated systems may have contributed to discrepancies. They also added that the volume of cases has been difficult to manage, with millions of voters requiring verification within limited timelines and unclear guidelines.

With Assembly elections scheduled to begin on 23 April 2026, concerns remain over the impact of voter deletions and adjudication on the electoral process. Affected voters in have been advised to approach tribunals set up by the ECI to seek restoration of their names within a 15-day window. Meanwhile, protests in Basirhat continued as residents demanded clarity and review of the deletions.

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