A PIL before the Supreme Court seeks constituency-wise disclosure of voter exclusions and electoral roll changes during West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision, alleging transparency concerns and potential impact on voter participation ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, despite the Court upholding the Election Commission’s revision powers.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking comprehensive constituency-wise disclosure of voter exclusions and alterations carried out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The petition raises concerns over the impact of the revision exercise on electoral participation and calls for greater transparency regarding changes made to voter lists ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The plea has been moved by Prasenjit Bose, Chairperson of the Special Intensive Revision Committee of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, through Advocate Neha Rathi. The petition comes shortly after the Supreme Court upheld the powers of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to undertake the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and approved the procedures adopted for carrying out the exercise.
The petitioner has urged the apex court to direct the Election Commission of India, the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, and the State Government to place in the public domain detailed constituency-wise data relating to the revision process. According to the plea, voters and political stakeholders are entitled to know the extent of additions, deletions, and modifications made during the electoral roll revision exercise.
The petition contends that transparency in electoral roll management is essential for preserving public confidence in the democratic process and ensuring accountability in large-scale voter verification exercises.
A central argument advanced in the PIL is that the extensive revision of electoral rolls carried out before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections may have significantly influenced electoral outcomes in several constituencies.
The petitioner has relied upon an analysis of election results to argue that the scale of voter list alterations exceeded the eventual victory margins in numerous constituencies won during the election.
According to the plea, out of the 208 Assembly seats secured by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2026 elections, there were 82 constituencies where the total number of additions and deletions made under the SIR exercise was greater than the winning margin recorded in those seats.
The petition states,
“The data therefore suggests that the SIR-related alterations may have had a significant bearing on the electoral outcome in these 82 Assembly Constituencies,”
The PIL further highlights that a substantial number of the constituencies identified in the analysis are located in districts with significant Muslim populations. According to the petitioner, 70 out of the 82 constituencies where voter list changes allegedly exceeded victory margins are situated across 12 Muslim-concentrated districts of West Bengal.
The petition points out that in the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP had won only nine of these constituencies. The subsequent electoral success in 2026, coupled with the scale of electoral roll modifications, has prompted the petitioner to seek greater scrutiny and disclosure of the revision process.
Another significant issue raised in the petition concerns the exclusion of voters during the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision. The plea alleges that more than 58 lakh electors were left out during the verification and enumeration exercise conducted as part of the revision process. It argues that such a large number of exclusions warrants a detailed public explanation from the Election Commission and related authorities.
The petitioner seeks constituency-wise disclosure of data so that affected voters, political parties, civil society organisations, and independent observers can assess the extent and implications of the exclusions.
Background of the Special Intensive Revision
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is a process undertaken by the Election Commission to verify voter records, remove ineligible names, add eligible voters, and update electoral databases. Such exercises are generally aimed at ensuring the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls before elections.
However, large-scale revision exercises often attract scrutiny due to concerns regarding wrongful deletion of genuine voters, procedural irregularities, and their potential impact on electoral outcomes.
In the present case, while the Supreme Court has already upheld the Election Commission’s authority to conduct the SIR and approved the modalities adopted, the petitioner has now approached the Court seeking greater transparency regarding the implementation and consequences of the exercise in West Bengal.
Through the PIL, the petitioner has requested directions requiring election authorities to publish detailed constituency-wise information regarding voter additions, deletions, corrections, and exclusions carried out during the Special Intensive Revision.
The plea argues that public disclosure of such information is necessary to assess whether the revision exercise had any bearing on electoral outcomes and to ensure that no eligible voter was unlawfully deprived of the right to participate in the democratic process.
The matter is expected to come up before the Supreme Court for consideration in due course.