Bengal SIR draft list out: Around 58 lakh voters’ names dropped — full details here

The draft voter list was published on the ECI’s website on Tuesday after the enumeration process, which began on November 4, concluded on December 11.

Among 58 lakh names, 24 lakh have been marked 'dead', 19 lakh 'relocated', 12 lakh 'missing' and 1.3 lakh 'duplicate'.

The first phase of SIR was conducted simultaneously in 12 states, including West Bengal, amid a sharp political standoff between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the ECI.

The TMC, which had initially opposed the exercise, later made a U-turn, urging voters to submit their forms to counter what it described as a “sinister plan” by the ECI.

The party has alleged that the poll panel is acting at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee repeatedly accused the ECI of attempting to delete genuine voters from the rolls and warned of massive protests if even a single valid name was removed.

At a recent rally in Krishnanagar, Mamata appealed to women to lead the protests carrying kitchen utensils. “Women will lead the protests while men will support them from behind,” she said.

TMC MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also threatened a large-scale protest in Delhi, saying the party would mobilise one lakh people from West Bengal if “even one genuine voter’s name is deleted”.

The final SIR voter list is scheduled to be published on February 14.