KOLKATA — The Election Commission of India deleted 27.10 lakh voters from West Bengal rolls after flagging 1.36 crore entries for "logical discrepancies," including age gaps exceeding 50 years between parents and children or six or more progeny mapped to one person.

Of the 60.06 lakh cases sent for adjudication, the deletions occurred despite submissions of 2002 electoral rolls — a precondition set by the commission itself — along with passports valid until 2028 and birth certificates. A senior official noted that judicial officers handled all cases, with no commission input on judgments.

The exercise echoes Bihar's 2025 Special Intensive Revision, where 65 lakh names were removed from draft lists, leading the Supreme Court to mandate publication of reasons. Former chief election commissioner O P Rawat stated that even one wrongful deletion "punctures the whole idea of SIR," referencing the commission's motto of "no voter to be left behind." Ashok Lavasa, another former commissioner, highlighted the absence of timely appeals.

As polling begins April 23, the Supreme Court has ordered supplementary lists for tribunal-cleared names by April 21 and 27, directing the Calcutta High Court chief justice to report on tribunal functioning.