Protests in W Bengal after 340 Muslim voters deleted in a booth from electoral roll
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Protests have broken out in the Basirhat North Assembly constituency of West Bengal after around 340 Muslim voters were removed from the electoral roll of Booth No. 5 in Boro Gobra village in North 24 Parganas district following the publication of the first supplementary list.
The voters, who were earlier marked as “under adjudication” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) carried out by the Election Commission of India, were subsequently shifted to the “deleted” category in the updated rolls. Reports indicated that all those removed belonged to the Muslim community.
Among those affected was Booth Level Officer Md. Shafiul Alam, who reportedly said that while his father’s name had remained on the rolls since 2002, names from the younger generation, including his own, had been deleted, Maktoob Media reported.
The development triggered protests in the area, with residents alleging bias and calling for an inquiry by the poll body. Affected individuals have been advised to approach tribunals set up by the Election Commission to seek restoration of their names.
Officials maintained that the SIR exercise was intended to clean up electoral rolls by removing duplicate, deceased or ineligible voters, as well as entries with discrepancies such as incomplete or unverifiable details. They added that the process was being carried out according to established verification norms.
However, opposition leaders expressed concern that the exercise could be disproportionately affecting minority-dominated areas ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Congress leader Vinay Kumar Dokania alleged irregularities in the revision process, describing it as a “#SIR scam” and claiming that the Election Commission was no longer acting neutrally, but instead functioning in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party.