Electoral Rolls in West Bengal Jump Significantly Ahead of High-Stakes Polls

Election Commission of India adds seven lakh voters before Bengal assembly elections.  Officials confirm rapid electoral roll expansion across West Bengal districts. Total electorate reaches 6,82,51,008 with possible further tribunal additions. Around 3.22 lakh voters will vote during first phase polling.
The remaining nearly 3.88 lakh voters will participate in the second phase. The polling is scheduled for April 23 and April 29, 2026 phases respectively. Officials release aggregate data without age and gender details. Commission withholds breakdown of first-time eighteen year old voters. Authorities also hide detailed gender distribution among newly added voters. Officials confirm data exists but may release details later officially.

Form-6 Applications Drive Major Electoral Expansion 

Around 7.09 lakh Form-6 applications were submitted before the nomination deadline period. Nearly five lakh applications were accepted after verification by election authorities. Earlier February roll revision added only 1.88 lakh new voters. Early April figures sharply increased to nearly 6.96 lakh voters. Data shows a sudden rise of nearly five lakh voters within a month.

North 24 Parganas records highest voter addition among all districts. The district alone contributes over 71,000 newly added voters recently. Kolkata follows with nearly 44,000 additional voters in rolls. Howrah Hooghly East Midnapore also shows significant voter increases. Officials highlight the rolling enrolment process as a key growth driver factor.

Political Controversy Intensifies Over Sudden Voter Increase

Trinamool Congress alleges BJP submits bulk Form-6 applications strategically. The party claims outsiders from Uttar Pradesh Bihar entered electoral rolls. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the process as “voter hijacking.” TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed that coordinated applications were submitted across constituencies to influence electoral rolls. Special Intensive Revision report shows 10.9 percent net voter deletions. West Bengal records high removal of deceased shifted duplicate voters earlier.