Voter Deletion Row: TMC Accuses BJP of "Stealing" Forms in Bengal; 58 Lakh Names Already Removed

KOLKATA, Jan 16 — A massive political firestorm has engulfed West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of orchestrating a conspiracy to disenfranchise millions of genuine voters.

The controversy reached a flashpoint on Tuesday in Bankura district, where TMC workers intercepted a vehicle allegedly carrying thousands of pre-filled "Form 7" applications—documents used to request the deletion of names from the electoral roll.

The Bankura Flashpoint

The standoff occurred in the Khatra subdivision of Bankura, where TMC cadres stopped an SUV transporting what they claimed were "sacks of papers" containing bulk objection forms. Two BJP workers were detained by the police following the incident.

TMC leaders allege that the forms were pre-filled with the intent to mass-delete voters. "One Booth Level Agent (BLA) can object to only a few names under election rules. How can 9,000–10,000 names be submitted in bulk?" asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, displaying photographs of the seized forms at a press conference.

The BJP, however, defended the transport of documents. Former Union Minister Subhas Sarkar stated that BJP workers were forced to take the forms directly to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) because local Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had refused to accept them.

The "58 Lakh" Deletion Controversy

The Bankura incident has brought focus to the TMC's broader allegation that the electoral roll revision is being manipulated. A high-level TMC delegation met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) earlier this week with a dossier of complaints:

  • The Numbers: The TMC claims that 58 lakh voters have already been deleted from the draft electoral roll published on December 16, 2025.

  • The Risk: The party further alleges that notices have been sent to another 1.36 crore voters citing "logical discrepancies," putting their voting rights at risk.

  • Prominent Targets: Chief Minister Banerjee claimed that even Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen was served a notice, remarking, "Had Rabindranath Tagore been alive, even his name would have been deleted."

"AI-Driven Disenfranchisement"

In a sharp attack on the poll body, the TMC has accused the ECI of acting as a "stooge" of the BJP and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to arbitrarily remove names without field verification. "AI has been used to delete names... The EROs had no role to verify this," Banerjee alleged.

BJP Strikes Back

The BJP has dismissed the TMC's outrage as fear-mongering to protect "fake voters." Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari argued that the deletions targeted deceased voters, those who have shifted residence, and duplicate entries. "Mamata Banerjee fears losing power because the deceased, fake, and illegal voters are being removed," Adhikari stated.

With the final electoral roll scheduled for publication on February 14, 2026, the integrity of the voter list has become the single biggest point of contention between the two warring parties.