43% of women without vote have ‘permanently shifted’
Times of India | 23 January 2026
Kolkata: Of the total number of female voters deleted from the 2026 Bengal draft electoral roll, 43.7% were left out because they shifted to other places permanently, hinting at relocation due to marriage and documentation gaps, which makes females more vulnerable to deletion from electoral rolls.
It was followed by 37.3% female deletions due to voters being dead and 16.5% female voters being untraceable or absent across Bengal.
According to the Sabar Institute analysis, the top 5 assembly constituencies where ‘permanently shifted' is the main reason for female voter deletions are Pandabeswar, Jamuria, Mandirbazar, Dantan and Nabagram. "A significant share of these deletions is attributed to ‘permanently shifted', a reason closely linked to post-marital relocation and the fact that heads of the households frequently do not prioritise updating these records," said Souptik Halder, who, along with Ashin Chakraborty and Sabir Ahamed, conducted the study.
While Sitai, Mekliganj, Katulpur, Sonamukhi and Keshpur are the top 5 assembly constituencies where death emerged as the primary reason for female voters' deletion, Kharagpur Sadar, Entally, Dabgram-Phulbari, Behala Purba and Kulpi are the top 5 assembly constituencies where untraceable or absent is the primary reason for the deletion of female voters.
According to Ahamed, historically, women possess fewer formal documents such as land records or caste certificates, making them more vulnerable to deletion from electoral rolls. "Among the matric/secondary pass as per Census 2011, women were only 41.8%. According to Sabar Institute's upcoming report, ‘An Atlas of Social Indicators of West Bengal', women constitute just 20.5% of state employees and 27.5% of IAS officers. This means most women are less likely to hold the very documents needed for SIR, like Madhyamik certificate or proof of govt employment, raising concerns that documentation gaps, marriage-linked migration and administrative lapses are silently erasing women from democracy."
Political analyst Udayan Bandyopadhyay feels that the SIR exercise is being conducted from a patriarchal point of view, and women, especially from poor backgrounds and marginalised sections, are the worst sufferers. "Considering the social reality of the entire country, this exercise should be simplified," said Bandyopadhyay.
The study also reveals that in Kolkata, 35% of female voter deletions took place for being ‘untraceable' or ‘absent', followed by 31.4% for being dead and 31.8% for being ‘permanently shifted'. "The top 5 assembly constituencies in Kolkata and its adjoining areas with the highest proportion of female voters being deleted are Metiabruz, Rajarhat New Town, Behala Purba, Bidhannagar and Kasba. Here, the average share of female deletions is 49.3%," said Chakraborty. Of the total names deleted from draft roll, 53.6% are women, compared to 46.5% men.