Nearly 5,00,000 new voters have been added to West Bengal's electoral rolls between February 28 and the close of nominations, according to senior officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI), reported Hindustan Times. The additions follow a surge in Form-6 applications submitted during the nomination window.
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Surge in Form-6 applications
Officials said around 7,09,000 Form-6 applications were received across the two phases of nominations. After verification, about 5,00,000 applicants were found eligible and included in the rolls. The exercise is part of the Commission's rolling enrolment process, which allows voter registrations until nominations close.
Earlier, when the final electoral roll was published on February 28, as many as 1,88,207 new voters had already been added through the same process. The latest inclusions significantly expand the voter base in the run-up to polling.
Districts see sharp rise in numbers
District-level data highlights uneven growth across the state. North 24-Parganas recorded the highest addition, with more than 71,000 new voters. Kolkata followed with nearly 44,000 additions, while Howrah, Hooghly and East Midnapore also saw notable increases.
With these updates, the total electorate in West Bengal now stands at 68.2 million. This includes over 34.9 million male voters, more than 33.3 million women, and 1,257 voters in the third gender category. Officials indicated that the number may still rise as pending applications are reviewed by appellate tribunals.
Political row intensifies
The fresh enrolments have sparked a political confrontation in the poll-bound state.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed fraudulent Form-6 applications to enrol "outsiders", calling it "voter hijacking". Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee claimed bulk applications were submitted across constituencies to influence voter rolls.
The BJP rejected the allegations, accusing the TMC of undermining the electoral process. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari pointed to alleged irregularities, while BJP leader Amit Malviya questioned the TMC's claims on infiltration.
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EC response
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal said complaints were being examined and warned of legal action against false applications. He clarified that Form-6 can only be filed by the applicant and not on someone else's behalf.
West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with scope for further additions as pending cases are resolved before polling.
