SIR Impact On Bengal Polls: The Numbers Game With Rahul Kanwal The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of West Bengal’s voter list has become a central issue in the upcoming assembly elections, raising concerns about its potential impact on the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP. The voter list revision, which has removed approximately 89 lakh voters—equivalent to 11.6% of the state’s electorate—has sparked debates over whether the exercise is politically motivated. The ruling party has accused the government of tampering with the list to weaken its electoral prospects, while the BJP and the Election Commission have denied these allegations. West Bengal’s 294 assembly seats require a majority of 148 seats to form a government. In the 2021 elections, the Trinamool Congress secured 215 seats, while the BJP won 77. The Left and other parties captured just one seat each. The current voter list revision has significantly altered the electoral landscape, with the number of deleted voters surpassing the Trinamool’s winning margin in the previous election. The party’s 2021 victory margin was 10% of the total votes, with 48% of the vote share compared to the BJP’s 38%. The SIR process has disproportionately affected certain districts, particularly those where the Trinamool’s margin was narrow. In districts like West Burdwan and South Dinajpur, the voter deletions have exceeded the party’s previous winning margins. In North Kolkata, the number of deleted voters is nearly equivalent to the Trinamool’s margin in that area. These deletions have raised questions about their impact on the ruling party’s chances in key constituencies. Simulations conducted by analysts suggest that the voter deletions could shift the balance of power.#west_bengal #bjp #trinamool_congress #election_commission #kanchan_gupta
