By TMC Claims 58 Lakh Voters Dropped From Bengal Rolls, Supreme Court Seeks EC Response
The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into a politically charged controversy over the revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, seeking a detailed response from the Election Commission (EC) after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that over 58 lakh voters were arbitrarily deleted from the draft voters’ list. The issue has raised serious questions about transparency, due process, and the increasing use of technology in electoral administration ahead of the next assembly elections in the state.
At the heart of the dispute is a petition filed by TMC Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, who has accused the EC of conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in a manner that violates established procedures and disenfranchises large sections of eligible voters, particularly women and minorities. The apex court’s intervention has now brought national attention to what the TMC calls a “systemic cleansing” of the electoral rolls.
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Supreme Court seeks explanation, sets deadline
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked the Election Commission to file its response within a week. The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 19. During the proceedings, the bench also sought clarity on the methods adopted by the EC to issue instructions to its field officers during the revision process.
Appearing for Dola Sen, senior advocate Kapil Sibal raised strong objections to the manner in which the poll body allegedly communicated crucial directions. “What is happening here? Instructions are being sent to election officers through WhatsApp messages or video conferences. This is impermissible. All such directions must be in writing to ensure transparency and accountability in the preparation of voters’ lists,” Sibal told the court.
The bench asked EC counsel Eklavya Dwivedi to respond specifically to these allegations, including whether any written orders existed and how the deletions were carried out on such a large scale.
Sharp fall in voter numbers raises alarm
According to the petition, the draft electoral roll for West Bengal, published on December 16, shows a steep reduction in the number of registered voters. The state had 7,66,37,529 voters after the Special Summary Revision of 2025, but the new draft list contains only 7,08,16,616 voters — a drop of 58,20,898 names.
Sen has alleged that these deletions were carried out without issuing individual notices or granting affected voters a personal hearing, both of which are mandatory under electoral rules. She has sought an extension of the January 15 deadline for submitting claims and objections, arguing that lakhs of voters may not even be aware that their names have been removed.
The TMC MP has also urged the court to direct the EC to accept a wider range of documents — including permanent residence certificates, panchayat-issued residence certificates and family registers — as valid proof for inclusion in the electoral roll.
‘WhatsApp Commission’ charge and algorithm concerns
One of the most serious allegations in the petition is that the EC has been issuing operational instructions informally, bypassing written communication channels. Sen described the poll body as a “WhatsApp Commission”, claiming that such practices undermine procedural safeguards and leave room for arbitrariness.
She further alleged that deletions of voters categorised as absentee, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD) were being processed centrally in several constituencies. According to the petition, these cases were marked en masse as “Disposed – Form 7” on the Electoral Registration Officer Net Portal, without physical verification, individual hearings or meaningful involvement of local Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
This, Sen argued, amounts to a violation of the EC’s own Standard Operating Procedures for the SIR exercise.
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Women, minorities ‘disproportionately affected’
The petition also raises concerns about the use of algorithms in matching and verifying voter data. Sen claimed that a majority of those affected by the deletions are women voters whose surnames changed after marriage, leading to mismatches flagged by automated systems.
“Over 90% of the cases involve name mismatches attributable largely to the failure of the algorithm used by the Election Commission,” the plea states. It also alleges that minority communities have been disproportionately impacted due to similar misclassification errors.
These claims add a new dimension to the debate, highlighting the risks of relying heavily on automated tools in a country with complex naming conventions and diverse social practices.
Fear of elections following final roll
With the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on February 14 — after the closure of the notice and hearing phase on February 7 — Sen expressed apprehension that West Bengal assembly elections could be announced immediately thereafter.
She has urged the Supreme Court to direct the EC to correct its revision process before finalisation, warning that flawed rolls could irreversibly affect the democratic rights of millions of voters.
The EC has so far not responded publicly to the allegations. However, the Supreme Court’s directive now places the poll body under judicial scrutiny at a sensitive political moment. The case is likely to have wider implications beyond West Bengal, especially as debates grow around the balance between efficiency, technology and voter rights in India’s electoral system.
