West Bengal Election 2026: A new trend is emerging before the West Bengal elections. Bengali migrants working in Delhi are rapidly returning to their villages and cities. Reason? Fear of deletion of name from voter list and uneasiness about voting in elections. Many migrant laborers say that they do not want to take risks after the news of irregularities and deletion of names in the voter list. There is a chance for improvement till April 19 before the voting on April 23 and 29, so people are returning home early.
What are the migrants saying?
A migrant laborer said that his name has not yet appeared in the voter list. Of the four brothers in his family, the names of only one are registered in the list, while the remaining three are currently considered “foreigners”. He said that most of the people in his colony are planning to go home to vote, but due to the large number of people travelling, it is becoming difficult to get tickets.
He also said that names of some people, especially those who voted in 2002, have been included in the list, but many names have come late or are still pending. However, there is a chance for improvement till April 19, so people can get the verification done again. He said, “Our vote is on 23rd and we will definitely go to vote. People of the entire colony will go, but because of the large number of people, there is a problem of ticket. My name has not yet appeared in the list. Of the four brothers, only one’s name is there, the other three are not. Right now, three of us brothers are considered ‘foreigners’ and one ‘Indian’. That is, the fear is not only of casting the vote, but also of losing the identity.”
Allegations of name deletion, even family affected
Many such cases have come to light where names of some people from the same family are in the list, while some are not. A migrant woman from Cooch Behar said that she was planning to go home with her family to vote. He expressed confidence that such problems are not so widespread now, but also admitted that such problems have come up in the past. The woman says, “Yes, I will also go to vote with my family. I have not heard much like this yet. The names of many of my relatives were earlier removed from the voter list.”
Another migrant said that his name is in the list, but his wife’s name has been removed without any reason. She said such cases are not isolated. He said, “Yes, we will go to vote. The names have been removed—my wife’s vote has been removed. My name is there, but I don’t know why my wife’s was removed. There are many such cases. In our family, the names of two people—my wife and sister-in-law—have been removed from the list.”
SIR became the root of controversy
Actually, this entire matter is related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR). After this process, the total number of voters in the state has reduced by about 61 lakhs from 7.66 crores to 7.04 crores. About 60 lakh names were under investigation, many of which are still under dispute. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already alleged that this process is an attempt to snatch away the voting rights of the people.
Anger increased at the grassroots level
In Malda, ‘Bangla Pakso’ organization has started a fast against the removal of names from the voter list. The organization alleges that Bengali speaking citizens are being systematically excluded from the list. The organization has warned that if there is no improvement soon, there will be a statewide agitation.
Why is this issue important?
In a state like Bengal, where every vote counts, withdrawal of lakhs of names can affect the election results. This is not just a question of elections, but is becoming a question of democratic rights, where identity, citizenship and vote are linked.
