West Bengal has launched a special drive across all 24 districts to ensure all eligible citizens are included in the electoral rolls following Election Commission instructions.
Ebenezer News Explainer DeskExplainers are written from our published summary and its cited sources, then checked against them.13 Oct 2026, 02:31 pmUpdated 40 min ago4 min readIndiaIndia
West Bengal’s election officials have begun a special drive in all 24 districts to add any eligible voter who may have been missed or wrongly deleted from the rolls. The effort follows direct instructions from the Election Commission of India and aims to ensure every adult can vote.
What happened in West Bengal’s voter inclusion drive
District Election Officers in West Bengal have launched a proactive campaign across all 24 districts to enrol eligible voters.
This move comes after the Election Commission of India sent specific instructions to state election officials to ensure that no eligible elector is left out of the electoral rolls.
Special voter help camps and help desks have been set up throughout the state to assist citizens with the registration process.
These camps are designed to provide direct support to individuals who may have faced difficulties in getting their names added to the official lists.
Why it matters for voters and officials in India
The drive is significant because it directly impacts the ability of citizens to participate in the democratic process.
The initiative affects several groups:
Eligible voters who might otherwise be left out of the electoral roll
Left-out electors and young voters aged 18 and above
Booth Level Officers and other local election staff who handle registrations
District Election Officers responsible for maintaining accurate rolls
The Election Commission, which seeks to uphold the integrity of elections
Ensuring that no eligible elector is omitted helps maintain the credibility of the democratic process and reduces public concern regarding voter lists.
When citizens are wrongfully removed, it creates tension and distrust, which this drive aims to resolve by providing clear channels for restoration.
How we got here: background of the SIR process
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a periodic exercise used by the Election Commission to clean up duplicate, shifted, absent or deceased entries.
In December 2025, West Bengal’s first draft roll listed over 58 lakh voters as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate, which are collectively known as ASDD voters.
Of these, approximately 24.16 lakh were marked as deceased, 32.65 lakh were identified as shifted or absent, and 1.38 lakh were found to have duplicate enrolments in multiple places.
Recent tension over allegations of wrongful deletions during this revision process has mounted, leading the poll body to undertake new drives.
The goal is to include wrongfully deleted voters back into the rolls across the country, starting with these targeted efforts in West Bengal.
What happens next
The process for addressing these issues remains ongoing and will involve several steps:
Election officials will continue operating special camps and help desks across the state to assist citizens.
Voters who were deleted can apply through Form 6 to restore their names, an option that was made available 11 days ago.
The 27 lakh cases currently pending before the 19 Appellate Tribunals will be reviewed to determine if names should be reinstated.
Officials will continue to manage the list of absent, shifted, dead, and duplicate voters on their website for public verification.
These actions could shape voter participation in future polls and affect the overall confidence in the electoral system.
Key facts at a glance
24 districts in West Bengal are covered by the drive
24 District Election Officers are leading the campaign
Special camps and help desks have been set up statewide
Form 6 allows deleted voters to apply for restoration
Over 58 lakh voters were flagged as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate in the last draft roll
The special drive demonstrates the Election Commission’s commitment to an inclusive voter list and provides a clear pathway for citizens to verify and correct their registration status.
The effort also signals that corrective actions may be taken wherever large numbers of voters are found to be incorrectly removed from the rolls.
