An analysis of voter roll revisions in Bhabanipur, the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, shows that Muslims account for more than 40 percent of deleted voters even though they make up only about 20 percent of the population.
The deletions happened during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision process, which is meant to update voter lists.
Disproportionate Impact on Muslim Voters
After the adjudication process, a total of 3,875 voters were removed from the rolls. Among them, 1,554 were Muslims, while 2,321 belonged to other communities, including Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.
Muslims account for around 24 per cent of voters in the constituency but over 40 per cent of those deleted.
“This shows that Muslim voters are being removed at a rate higher than their share in the population,” said Asim Chakraborty from the Sabar Institute. “We are seeing similar patterns in other places as well,” he was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.
Changes After Adjudication
The final electoral rolls published on February 28 showed 1,59,201 voters in Bhabanipur. Earlier draft rolls had already removed around 44,000 names.
Researchers said that in the draft stage, about 22.7 percent of voters were marked as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate, which roughly matched population trends. However, things changed after the adjudication lists were released.
“A major shift has been observed after the supplementary lists came out,” said researcher Souptik Halder.
The study also pointed out that some deletions were based on minor spelling mistakes or unclear reasons such as having “too many siblings.”
Similar Trend in Nandigram
The analysis found an even sharper pattern in Nandigram, represented by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Here, 2,700 out of 2,826 deleted voters were Muslims, which is about 95.5 percent.
Both Nandigram and Bhabanipur are key constituencies in the ongoing elections, with voting scheduled later this month.
Political Reactions
Suvendu Adhikari earlier said, “In the first round, 45,000 voters were deleted, and many are still under adjudication. There will be no voters left to make her win from Bhabanipur.”
Mamata Banerjee also raised concerns at a rally, saying, “They had deleted 44,000 voters earlier from my own constituency. I will have to find out how many voters have been deleted.”
Wider Concerns Across Bengal
Across West Bengal, the SIR process has reportedly led to the deletion of around 91 lakh voters. In districts like Murshidabad, more than 4.5 lakh names have been declared ineligible, while many others are still under review.
Earlier studies also found that Muslim-sounding names were more likely to be flagged under “logical discrepancy” in several constituencies, including parts of Kolkata and Cooch Behar.
The findings have triggered a wider debate on fairness and transparency in the voter revision process. Analysts say it is important to ensure that no community is unfairly targeted.
“The credibility of elections depends on equal treatment of all voters,” a researcher said, adding that more clarity from the Election Commission is expected soon.
