West Bengal Draft Rolls Out: 58 Lakh Names Marked for Deletion Ahead of 2026 Polls

• West Bengal's draft electoral rolls will be published on December 16, initiating a scrutiny phase for the 2026 assembly polls.
• This follows a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, with the final rolls tentatively scheduled for February 14 next year.
• Over 58 lakh names are marked for deletion due to reasons like being deceased, shifted, untraceable, or duplicate voters.
• More than 30 lakh voters are in a "no-mapping" category, and 1.7 crore are under varying degrees of scrutiny.
• The deletion numbers have sparked political attention, with CM's constituency showing higher deletions than the Opposition Leader's.

Why It Matters: Draft voter list revision in West Bengal critically impacts 2026 elections and voter eligibility.