‘This is why SIR is necessary,’ says Praveen Khandelwal as 50 lakh names flagged for exclusion in Bengal voter list
New Delhi: BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal on Friday defended the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, after nearly 50 lakh names were identified for potential exclusion from the voters’ list.
Calling the discovery a vindication of the exercise, Khandelwal said the findings show why such verification is essential to protect the integrity of India’s democratic processes.
Responding to reports that the SIR has identified lakhs of individuals who do not actually reside in the state, Khandelwal said, “This is precisely why SIR is necessary. This serves as a strong rebuttal to those who had questioned SIR. How is it possible that we talk about strengthening democracy, yet the voter list includes people who have illegally become part of it? It is essential to remove such individuals, and that is why SIR is necessary.”
Echoing similar concerns, Bihar Minister Nitin Nabin said the revelations expose what he described as demographic manipulation in West Bengal.
“Mamata Banerjee’s tactics are coming to light. The manipulations that altered the local demographics are gradually being exposed. People who are not part of Bengal’s population were made voters, allowing malpractice. The Election Commission of India will certainly take action,” he said.
According to officials familiar with the process, around 50 lakh names in West Bengal have been flagged for exclusion during the digitisation of enumeration forms under the SIR, which began on November 4.
The figure was a little over 46 lakh by Tuesday evening but crossed the 50-lakh mark by Wednesday night, indicating that nearly four lakh additional names were categorised as eligible for deletion within 24 hours.
Data from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, shows that of these 50 lakh names, over 23 lakh fall under the “deceased voters” category, while more than 18 lakh have been listed as “shifted.”
Over seven lakh voters were classified as “untraceable,” with the rest identified as duplicates or marked for deletion on other grounds.
A clearer picture will emerge when the draft voters’ list is published on December 16, after which notices, hearings, verifications, and disposal of claims and objections will take place until February 7, 2026. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on February 14. As of October 27, West Bengal had a total electorate of 7,66,37,529 voters.