Voting in one of India’s most closely watched state elections began yesterday after a national voter roll revision removed millions of names and raised concerns over disenfranchisement in West Bengal, one of the few large states not governed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party.
The election has national implications. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking gains in a state long dominated by a regional opposition party, while a victory for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would bolster her position as a leading opposition figure.
A second phase of polling is scheduled for next week. Voting was also taking place in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Photo: AFP
The voting was part of a wider round of state elections testing the BJP’s reach in opposition strongholds. The results of the latest elections and the earlier polls in Kerala and Assam states and the federally administered territory of Puducherry were expected on May 4.
The election is taking place after a sweeping revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India aimed at removing duplicate, deceased and ineligible voters.
About 9 million names — roughly 12 percent of the electorate — were deleted, including 6.3 million listed as deceased or absent and 2.7 million marked “doubtful” and pending verification, officials said.
Some affected voters said they had voted in previous elections and hold valid identification, but were removed without clear explanation.
Sheikh Najrul Islam, a 53-year-old paramilitary officer on election duty in West Bengal, said he last voted in 2021 and holds valid identification documents, yet his name no longer appears on the voter list.
“The Election Commission has deputed me to ensure free and fair polls. Yet, it does not consider me a citizen of this country,” he said.
In another case, Taibunessa Begum, a 62-year-old retired school administrator, said she was shocked to find her name deleted despite having a passport, pension records and earlier voter registration.
“It felt like being told I don’t exist,” she said.
Opposition leaders allege the deletions disproportionately affect Muslims and other marginalized communities.
Modi’s party said the revision was a routine administrative exercise carried out across multiple states, adding that any disproportionate impact in West Bengal reflects the presence of undocumented migrants.
They said that many Hindu voters were also removed.
However, critics link the deletions to broader political messaging by Modi and some BJP leaders, who have repeatedly suggested the revisions of the voter lists targeted people who immigrated illegally from neighboring Bangladesh.
Opposition leaders said such rhetoric has deepened fears among minority communities, particularly Muslims, that the voter roll revision is being used to exclude them.
Derek O’Brien, of the opposition Trinamool Congress, called the exercise “invisible rigging.”
“The motive is to disenfranchise voters,” he said.
Analysts said the deletions could fuel fears of longer-term consequences.
“Losing one’s place in the electoral roll can be deeply unsettling. It is not only about voting rights; it is about dignity, recognition and the assurance that one counts as a citizen,” political analyst Iman Kalyan Lahiri said.
For many affected voters, the issue is more immediate.
“This is not just about politics,” Begum said. “It is about identity, about whether we belong to this country.”
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