4.3 lakh new voters applied in Bengal since Dec 17
Times of India | 16 January 2026
Kolkata: About 4.3 lakh applications (Form 6/6A) were submitted to enrol names in the voter list in Bengal till Jan 15, since the publication of the draft list on Dec 16. The EC received 38,905 Form 7 for the exclusion of ineligible electors.
Thursday was the last day for submission of Form 6/6A and 7. In 2024, the EC received 14.3 lakh applications for new voters. The EC, meanwhile, received only eight applications for inclusion in voters' list from political parties since Dec 17, according to data on Thursday, the final day for filing claims and objections. Trinamool submitted the highest number of applications, three, followed by two from CPM, while BJP, BSP and All India Forward Bloc filed one each.
"Since Dec 17, we received 4,28,013 Form 6/6A till Wednesday afternoon. Also, 38,905 Form 7 for deletion were also submitted after the publication of the draft SIR roll. We will dispose of the forms after conducting hearings, if required, by Feb 7, and if everything goes smoothly, the persons who submitted Form 6/6A will find their names in the final electoral list to be published on Feb 14," a senior EC official said.
The EC received 3,31,075 Form 6 before publication of Bengal's draft SIR roll for addition. "These names will be added to the final electoral roll after obtaining necessary declaration," the EC stated.
Earlier, in Bihar, after the publication of the draft SIR roll, 21.5 lakh eligible electors were added to the final electoral roll through Form 6/6A applications. "Till Thursday, we received a total of 7,59,088 Form 6/6A in Bengal, taking together both pre- and post-Dec 16 applications. This is far short of Bihar's mark," another official said.
According to data, the number of Form 6 applications steadily declined in Bengal since the 2014 LS elections. Although this number increased somewhat in the following poll years, the graph showed a downward trend in subsequent years. However, after the 2021 Assembly polls, number of new-generation voters, i.e those who applied for inclusion in the list for the first time, decreased significantly.