After SIR change, depleted Kolkata to vote on April 29

KOLKATA: A reshaped Kolkata, with a much thinner voter roll, will go to the polls this year, infusing an unpredictability rarely witnessed before.

For example, Jorasanko will go to polls with the SIR shaving off 35% of its 1.9 lakh voters, while Chowringhee's 1.9 lakh voters were cut by 32%. Cossipore-Belagachia, Ballygunge, Bidhannagar, Shyampukur, Kolkata Port, Maniktala, and Rashbehari all witnessed over 20% of their voters being marked ‘deleted'.




Though the percentages may be lower, Rajarhat-New Town, Tollygunge, Jadavpur and Bhowanipore will have over 40,000 fewer voters in their rolls.

Sabir Ahamed, lead researcher at the Sabar Institute, said, "Our initial analysis of the draft roll shows that single male migrants — who played a significant role in running the city — in urban constituencies like Jorasanko, Bhowanipore, and Kolkata Port will no longer be able to vote where they spend most of their time, as they were either deleted or forcibly registered back to their native places.

The top 5 Kolkata constituencies in the draft roll where deletions occurred for being untraceable or absent are Entally (59%), Jorasanko (55.1%), East Behala (47%), Jadavpur (46.5%), and Chowringhee (46.6%). These primarily have non-Bengali migrants and undermine the inclusivity of the city."

Among Kolkata assembly seats, women account for 42.5% of deletions in draft roll, compared to 53.6% across the state. The analysis of the draft rolls reveals that in Kolkata, 35% of female voter deletions took place for being ‘untraceable' or ‘absent', followed by 31.4% for being deceased and 31.8% for having permanently shifted.

"The top 5 assembly constituencies in Kolkata and its adjoining areas with the highest proportion of female voters being deleted are Metiabruz, Rajarhat New Town, Behala Purba, Bidhannagar, and Kasba. In these constituencies, the average share of female deletions is 49.3%," said Ahamed..

Former Rabindra Bharati University VC Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury said, "The exclusionary process is antithetical to the democratic spirit and culture. The hastily conducted SIR was difficult to complete on time in Bengal. It may be recalled that in 2002, when the SIR was conducted, there were no impending elections."

At least 483 members of the Chinese community, whose names were in the 2002 list, were deleted from the 2026 draft voter rolls. Three-quarters of the deletions happened at Chinatown in Tangra, which straddles both Entally and Kasba constituencies, while the remaining 121 were from Tiretta Bazaar in Chowringhee constituency. Around 80% of the 484 Chinese Indians could not be traced; the rest were deceased.

While deletions due to ASDD (Absentee, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate) and unmapping lists broadly match the Muslim share of the population in most Kolkata constituencies, logical discrepancy lists flag a disproportionately large share of Muslim voters. For example, the Muslim share of the population in Bhowanipore is around 20% as per the 2011 Census, but in the logical discrepancy list, 52% of those flagged are Muslims.

Presidency University political science professor Zaad Mahmood feels that the 60 lakh cases under adjudication are concerning. "Analysis by Sabar Institute and others showed that Muslims are heavily represented in logical discrepancy lists. But it is not only Muslims; it is also women. So, 2 politically dominant core bases of the TMC seriously compromised, potentially facing the danger of disenfranchisement through the SIR."