Voter or not? Audit aims to remove deceased, raising fears of disenfranchisement
Telegraph | 13 November 2025
Amid the fierce political controversy over potential voter disenfranchisement, 46 lakh deceased individuals in Bengal have been identified whose names may or may not have been on the electoral rolls.
The deaths occurred over the past five to seven years.
Of those identified, 33 lakh had Aadhaar cards that have since been deactivated, while 13 lakh deceased did not have Aadhaar cards, according to sources involved in the electoral roll revision.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues the Aadhaar cards, is now conducting a comprehensive verification exercise, coordinating with banks, the Life Insurance Corporation, and other agencies linked to the deceased, as well as cross-referencing Bengal government scheme databases.
“The UIDAI is conducting the exercise of locating voters who have passed away. They are coordinating with banks, LIC and other agencies. They are also trying to track the dead voters through several schemes of the Bengal government,” a senior government official said.
Once UIDAI completes its verification, the data will be forwarded to the Election Commission. Electoral Registration Officers in each district will then examine the enumeration forms of flagged voters. If deaths are confirmed, those names will be removed from the revised voters’ list.
The entire process must be completed before the final voters’ list is published on February 7, 2026. A provisional list will be released after the special intensive revision (SIR) concludes on December 4. Voters can appeal discrepancies to the district magistrate and then to Bengal’s chief electoral officer.
The voter list revision has ignited a major political battle in Bengal, with the state’s two dominant parties clashing over allegations of illegal voting versus fears of mass disenfranchisement.
Several senior BJP leaders have claimed that large numbers of illegal voters infiltrated from Bangladesh using false documents. They have cited what they describe as “fantastic numbers” of fraudulent registrations.
In response, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has issued a stark warning: she will work to bring down the BJP-led central government if even one legitimate voter is deleted from the rolls.
Last week, Mamata led a protest march through central Calcutta, walking 4km from the B.R. Ambedkar statue on Red Road to Jorasanko while carrying a copy of the Constitution. She was joined by her nephew and Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, along with thousands of party workers.
“By the time Bihar figured it out, their (voters’) names had already been removed. We caught them before they were able to do anything here…. If even one legitimate person is removed, we will bring down the BJP government, we will make sure that happens,” Mamata said during the march.
The probability of names being struck off arbitrarily has become the biggest controversy surrounding the revision, even before the SIR began earlier this month.
Senior state government officials report widespread panic among residents about whether their names might be removed and what implications that could have for their citizenship status.
“Many, even retired senior bureaucrats, are calling me, seeking advice. They are either unable to find their names on the 2002 list or locate a document,” one official said.
Bengal’s chief electoral officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, sought to reassure the public on Wednesday. “A scientific and exhaustive process has been undertaken to revise the voters’ list. I can assure people that under any circumstances, no eligible voters’ names will be left out of the rolls,” he said.