NEW DELHI: Around 60 lakh electors in West Bengal have been categorised as ‘doubtful’ by Election Commission, and their cases have been sent for adjudication by judicial officers appointed by the Kolkata high court. This is in line with the Supreme Court’s directive dated Feb 20. With assembly elections in the state likely to be announced in the second half of March, this means that it would be a race against time for the “doubtful” voters to be made a part of the electoral list.Sources said that the final electorate of Bengal is around 6.4 crore, with a total 1.2 crore deletions since Oct 27, 2025 (15.9%). Of these, around 61.8 lakh were deleted on account of being deceased, shifted, migrated and registered at multiple places and another 60 lakh categorised as ‘doubtful’ voters under adjudication.Israel attacks IranIsrael Attack Iran Live Updates: Missiles strike US navy headquarters in Bahrain; explosions heard in Abu Dhabi, DohaUS, Israel attack Iran: AI Tel Aviv flight returning to IndiaIran attacks US military bases across Middle East in operation ‘Truthful Promise 4’Such ‘doubtful’ electors, as and when their cases are approved by the court-appointed judicial officers, shall be added back to the state’s roll by way of supplementary lists to be published later. Until then, these voters will not be eligible to vote in any election.A senior EC functionary told TOI that the majority of these ‘doubtful’ electors are likely to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. “Despite stiff resistance, the SIR exercise in Bengal has been a huge success,” said another EC official.According to the rules, the electoral roll of a state is frozen 10 days before the last date for nomination in Lok Sabha or assembly elections. So only those ‘doubtful’ voters whose cases are disposed of within the prescribed deadline can vote in the upcoming Bengal assembly elections.It remains to be seen how much time the judicial officers will take to dispose of cases of the 60 lakh ‘doubtful’ voters in West Bengal. The cases of thousands of ‘doubtful’ or ‘D’ voters in Assam, categorised as such since 1997 and not allowed to vote, have been under adjudication by the foreigners tribunals for decades. Only after the tribunals declare the ‘D’ voters as bona fide citizens can they vote. If ruled as foreigners, they are sent to detention centres and deportation proceedings initiated.The judiciary-appointed officers in Bengal will now have to do the same for those categorised as ‘doubtful’ voters due to SIR, ostensibly on grounds of being Bangladeshis. So effectively, the judicial officers will act like foreigners tribunals, examining and confirming citizenship of ‘doubtful’ electors before restoring their voting rights.At the start of the SIR exercise on Oct 27, 2025, Bengal’s electorate stood at 7.7 crore. The draft roll published on Dec 16, 2025, put the strength of the electorate at 7.08 crore after 58.2 lakh deletions. The final roll published on Saturday listed 6.4 crore voters, with 3.6 lakh net deletions since draft roll publication.About the AuthorBharti JainBharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Moral Cowardice’: PM Modi’s Israel Visit Faces Oppn Heat As US-Israel Launch Strikes On Iran’Urge All Sides To…’: India Calls For Dialogue And De Escalation As US And Israel Attack Iran‘Historic’: US Envoy Gor Hails Micron’s Chip Plant Launch In Guj, Cites Modi-Trump FriendshipAfghanistan War, Iran Conflict Push Pakistan Into Two Front Security Challenge Amid Regional TensionHarvard University Responds After Sanskrit Course Image Sparks Criticism‘Target Religious Minorities’:UNHRC Side Event Flags Blasphemy Law Abuse In Pakistan And Bangladesh’Muslim League-Maoist Congress’: PM Modi Hits Out Over ‘Shirtless’ Protest At AI SummitIsrael-Iran War: AirIndia, IndiGo, Global Carriers Suspend Flights Amid West Asia Airspace ClosuresMunir’s Gamble Or US Script? As Trump Praises Pakistan, Is Islamabad Replaying Old Afghan Playbook?Five-Year Most-Favoured Nation Status Secured for India in Landmark EU Trade Agreement: What It Means for India123PhotostoriesHow to prevent weeds from invading your balcony garden5 essential property documents every homebuyer must verifyWhy many Indian women don’t meet daily protein requirements: Doctor explains how to fix it naturallyFrom Rashmika’s vintage gold to Nayanthara’s custom red: 5 South Indian celebrity weddings that broke the internet with their style5 Powerful Surya mantras to chant every morningMini workouts: Can 5 minutes a day build real fitness?Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s comfort recipes from his home kitchen that you can’t missHoli 2026: Forgotten Holi drinks that disappeared over time5 luxury electric cars offering performance, prestige and sustainable innovationFrom Jane Fonda to Melanie Griffith: actors who went throughknife to look younger123Hot PicksIsrael attack IranWest Bengal SIRGold rate todayDubai airportIncome Tax CalculatorPublic holidays March 2026Bank Holidays MarchTop TrendingIsrael Iran ConflictUS Israel Strike IranPakistna vs Sri Lanka ScorecardLucknow businessman murderRinku SinghIndian Wells Open 2026Crude OilQatar AirwaysMaxx Crosby InjuryNHL Trade

NEW DELHI: Around 60 lakh electors in West Bengal have been categorised as ‘doubtful’ by Election Commission, and their cases have been sent for adjudication by judicial officers appointed by the Kolkata high court. This is in line with the Supreme Court’s directive dated Feb 20. With assembly elections in the state likely to be announced in the second half of March, this means that it would be a race against time for the “doubtful” voters to be made a part of the electoral list.Sources said that the final electorate of Bengal is around 6.4 crore, with a total 1.2 crore deletions since Oct 27, 2025 (15.9%). Of these, around 61.8 lakh were deleted on account of being deceased, shifted, migrated and registered at multiple places and another 60 lakh categorised as ‘doubtful’ voters under adjudication.Israel attacks IranIsrael Attack Iran Live Updates: Missiles strike US navy headquarters in Bahrain; explosions heard in Abu Dhabi, DohaUS, Israel attack Iran: AI Tel Aviv flight returning to IndiaIran attacks US military bases across Middle East in operation ‘Truthful Promise 4’Such ‘doubtful’ electors, as and when their cases are approved by the court-appointed judicial officers, shall be added back to the state’s roll by way of supplementary lists to be published later. Until then, these voters will not be eligible to vote in any election.A senior EC functionary told TOI that the majority of these ‘doubtful’ electors are likely to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. “Despite stiff resistance, the SIR exercise in Bengal has been a huge success,” said another EC official.According to the rules, the electoral roll of a state is frozen 10 days before the last date for nomination in Lok Sabha or assembly elections. So only those ‘doubtful’ voters whose cases are disposed of within the prescribed deadline can vote in the upcoming Bengal assembly elections.It remains to be seen how much time the judicial officers will take to dispose of cases of the 60 lakh ‘doubtful’ voters in West Bengal. The cases of thousands of ‘doubtful’ or ‘D’ voters in Assam, categorised as such since 1997 and not allowed to vote, have been under adjudication by the foreigners tribunals for decades. Only after the tribunals declare the ‘D’ voters as bona fide citizens can they vote. If ruled as foreigners, they are sent to detention centres and deportation proceedings initiated.The judiciary-appointed officers in Bengal will now have to do the same for those categorised as ‘doubtful’ voters due to SIR, ostensibly on grounds of being Bangladeshis. So effectively, the judicial officers will act like foreigners tribunals, examining and confirming citizenship of ‘doubtful’ electors before restoring their voting rights.At the start of the SIR exercise on Oct 27, 2025, Bengal’s electorate stood at 7.7 crore. The draft roll published on Dec 16, 2025, put the strength of the electorate at 7.08 crore after 58.2 lakh deletions. The final roll published on Saturday listed 6.4 crore voters, with 3.6 lakh net deletions since draft roll publication.About the AuthorBharti JainBharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Moral Cowardice’: PM Modi’s Israel Visit Faces Oppn Heat As US-Israel Launch Strikes On Iran’Urge All Sides To…’: India Calls For Dialogue And De Escalation As US And Israel Attack Iran‘Historic’: US Envoy Gor Hails Micron’s Chip Plant Launch In Guj, Cites Modi-Trump FriendshipAfghanistan War, Iran Conflict Push Pakistan Into Two Front Security Challenge Amid Regional TensionHarvard University Responds After Sanskrit Course Image Sparks Criticism‘Target Religious Minorities’:UNHRC Side Event Flags Blasphemy Law Abuse In Pakistan And Bangladesh’Muslim League-Maoist Congress’: PM Modi Hits Out Over ‘Shirtless’ Protest At AI SummitIsrael-Iran War: AirIndia, IndiGo, Global Carriers Suspend Flights Amid West Asia Airspace ClosuresMunir’s Gamble Or US Script? As Trump Praises Pakistan, Is Islamabad Replaying Old Afghan Playbook?Five-Year Most-Favoured Nation Status Secured for India in Landmark EU Trade Agreement: What It Means for India123PhotostoriesHow to prevent weeds from invading your balcony garden5 essential property documents every homebuyer must verifyWhy many Indian women don’t meet daily protein requirements: Doctor explains how to fix it naturallyFrom Rashmika’s vintage gold to Nayanthara’s custom red: 5 South Indian celebrity weddings that broke the internet with their style5 Powerful Surya mantras to chant every morningMini workouts: Can 5 minutes a day build real fitness?Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s comfort recipes from his home kitchen that you can’t missHoli 2026: Forgotten Holi drinks that disappeared over time5 luxury electric cars offering performance, prestige and sustainable innovationFrom Jane Fonda to Melanie Griffith: actors who went throughknife to look younger123Hot PicksIsrael attack IranWest Bengal SIRGold rate todayDubai airportIncome Tax CalculatorPublic holidays March 2026Bank Holidays MarchTop TrendingIsrael Iran ConflictUS Israel Strike IranPakistna vs Sri Lanka ScorecardLucknow businessman murderRinku SinghIndian Wells Open 2026Crude OilQatar AirwaysMaxx Crosby InjuryNHL Trade


For 61 lakh 'doubtful' voters, it's a race against time to get on electoral roll

NEW DELHI: Around 60 lakh electors in West Bengal have been categorised as ‘doubtful’ by Election Commission, and their cases have been sent for adjudication by judicial officers appointed by the Kolkata high court. This is in line with the Supreme Court’s directive dated Feb 20. With assembly elections in the state likely to be announced in the second half of March, this means that it would be a race against time for the “doubtful” voters to be made a part of the electoral list.Sources said that the final electorate of Bengal is around 6.4 crore, with a total 1.2 crore deletions since Oct 27, 2025 (15.9%). Of these, around 61.8 lakh were deleted on account of being deceased, shifted, migrated and registered at multiple places and another 60 lakh categorised as ‘doubtful’ voters under adjudication.Such ‘doubtful’ electors, as and when their cases are approved by the court-appointed judicial officers, shall be added back to the state’s roll by way of supplementary lists to be published later. Until then, these voters will not be eligible to vote in any election.A senior EC functionary told TOI that the majority of these ‘doubtful’ electors are likely to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. “Despite stiff resistance, the SIR exercise in Bengal has been a huge success,” said another EC official.According to the rules, the electoral roll of a state is frozen 10 days before the last date for nomination in Lok Sabha or assembly elections. So only those ‘doubtful’ voters whose cases are disposed of within the prescribed deadline can vote in the upcoming Bengal assembly elections.It remains to be seen how much time the judicial officers will take to dispose of cases of the 60 lakh ‘doubtful’ voters in West Bengal. The cases of thousands of ‘doubtful’ or ‘D’ voters in Assam, categorised as such since 1997 and not allowed to vote, have been under adjudication by the foreigners tribunals for decades. Only after the tribunals declare the ‘D’ voters as bona fide citizens can they vote. If ruled as foreigners, they are sent to detention centres and deportation proceedings initiated.The judiciary-appointed officers in Bengal will now have to do the same for those categorised as ‘doubtful’ voters due to SIR, ostensibly on grounds of being Bangladeshis. So effectively, the judicial officers will act like foreigners tribunals, examining and confirming citizenship of ‘doubtful’ electors before restoring their voting rights.At the start of the SIR exercise on Oct 27, 2025, Bengal’s electorate stood at 7.7 crore. The draft roll published on Dec 16, 2025, put the strength of the electorate at 7.08 crore after 58.2 lakh deletions. The final roll published on Saturday listed 6.4 crore voters, with 3.6 lakh net deletions since draft roll publication.



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