Election Commission Releases Third Supplementary Voter List in West Bengal

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India on March 29, 2026, released the third supplementary electoral roll for West Bengal under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, just weeks ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for April 23 and April 29, with counting on May 4.

The latest list, published late Saturday night around 11:30 pm, includes names categorised as “under adjudication”-voters whose eligibility is still being verified after the post-SIR rolls were finalised on February 28. Booth-wise lists have been uploaded on the Commission’s website for public access.

However, the Commission has not disclosed the number of additions or deletions in the third supplementary list, continuing a pattern seen in earlier releases that has drawn criticism over lack of transparency.

The third list follows a phased rollout of supplementary rolls through the week the first list was released earlier in the week, the second on Friday night, and now the third on Saturday. Officials indicated that around 10 lakh names were included in the first list and about 21 lakh in the second, though figures for the latest list remain unspecified.

The SIR exercise has significantly reshaped West Bengal’s electoral rolls. During the enumeration phase, around 58 lakh names were deleted due to reasons such as death, migration, duplication, or untraceability, reducing the electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore. The final rolls published on February 28 further brought the number of valid voters to just over 7.04 crore, while over 60 lakh names were kept under scrutiny.

Subsequent supplementary lists aim to reinstate eligible voters from this pool. In fact, around 31 lakh names have already been added through the first two supplementary lists, taking the total electorate to 6.76 crore from 6.44 crore earlier, excluding those still under adjudication.

Despite these additions, uncertainty persists over pending cases. Of the roughly 60 lakh applications under review, about 37 lakh have been disposed of by judicial officers under the supervision of the Calcutta High Court. However, clarity is still lacking on how many of these have translated into final inclusions or exclusions.

The Commission has also published separate deletion lists, identifying voters removed due to duplication, death, or change of residence. It has maintained that the staggered release of supplementary lists is intended to ensure accuracy and inclusion in the electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has stated that, as per court directions, supplementary lists will now be published regularly, and the process will continue until all eligible voters are accounted for ahead of polling.

With the state heading into a crucial election, the focus remains on how quickly and transparently the Commission resolves pending adjudication cases and discrepancies, which could significantly impact voter participation in the upcoming polls.

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