After the success of Special Intensive Revision or SIR in Bihar, it was started in many states, including West Bengal. Most of the controversies are being seen here. According to the recent report of Sabar Institute, scissors were used blindly on Muslim voters in Nandigram assembly seat and the names of more than 95% voters were crossed out. Questions are being raised that Muslims are being cleansed through SIR, but what is the truth? Let’s understand in the explainer…

Question 1: What happened in Nandigram? Why are 95% deleted voters Muslims?
answer: Nandigram is the assembly seat of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, where his victory over Mamata Banerjee in 2021 was by a margin of just 2,000 votes. Here a total of 2,826 names were removed from the supplementary list of SIR (first 7 lists). Of these, 2,700 are Muslims, i.e. 95.5%. The Muslim population in Nandigram is only 25-26%, in 2021 there were about 68,000 Muslim voters out of the total 2.57 lakh voters.

Kolkata-based research organization Saber Institute analyzed the ECI data and presented this figure. The organization’s researcher Sabir Ahmed says that this rate of deletion of Muslim voters is worrying. This shows the political agenda in the SIR process, which is to clear Muslim names to benefit one party.

Question 2: Is this pattern only in Nandigram or is the situation the same in entire Bengal?
answer: There is a case of disproportionate deletion in Nandigram, but the data of the entire state is different. According to ECI data, out of the total 90 lakh removed names, 63% (57.47 lakh) are Hindu and 34% (31.1 lakh) are Muslim. According to 2011 census data, the Muslim population in Bengal is 27%, hence their share of Muslims is slightly higher, but the number of Hindus is the highest.

Deletions were more in Muslim-majority districts like Murshidabad, Malda and North 24 Parganas. 4.5 lakh in Murshidabad, 3.2 lakh in North 24 Parganas. Even in seats like Bhawanipur and Ballygunge, there were more Muslims in the survey. Sabar Institute had earlier found more Muslim names in the ‘logical discrepancy’ list in four seats in Kolkata.

Question 3: So are Muslims being targeted?
answer: According to Sabar Institute and media reports, Muslims are more affected in sensitive areas like Nandigram. Poor laborers, migrants and marginal families were affected in many Muslim areas. TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee is calling it an ‘attack on minority voters’ and ‘electoral genocide’.

AJUP’s Dr. Mir Hasnat says that the ratio of Muslims in the investigation was 5:1, but the ECI had told the Supreme Court in December 2025 that the allegations of ‘mass deletion’ are ‘false, exaggerated and political’. The process is completely constitutional. Notice, opportunity to submit documents and investigation by Judicial Officer have been done.

Question 4: So the voters whose names were deleted have no option?
answer: Out of 91 lakh, names of 27 lakh voters have been deleted. These voters can appeal to 19 tribunals, but after the nomination is over, the list for Phase-1 has been frozen. Phase-2 will start from April 29, then some relief may be available. In many families, father and son are in separate lists, that is, names are on one and not on the other. There will be more than 1 lakh tests and 14 thousand deletions in Bhagwangola of Murshidabad. Army pensioner Noorul Islam’s name was lost in Malda’s Jhotkabeel, even though passport and PPO book were proof.

Question 5: What is the politics behind deleting the names of Muslims under the guise of SIR?
answer: TMC is calling this SIR a weapon of BJP. There was a huge uproar against this in the entire state, so much so that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat on a strike and the matter reached the Supreme Court. On the other hand, BJP is calling it the process of removing ‘black votes’, which will strengthen democracy. Congress and other small parties are also standing with TMC in this matter.

The Election Commission says that the objective of SIR was to clean the voter list, but 95.5% Muslim deletion in areas like Nandigram raised questions.