Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) released the third supplementary voter list for West Bengal late Saturday night, March 28, 2026, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The list, made public around 11:30 PM, includes voters whose names were previously in the “Under Adjudication” category. However, the poll panel has drawn criticism from various quarters for remaining tight-lipped regarding the specific numbers for deletions or inclusions in this latest release, citing that the data is being updated in phases to ensure accuracy ahead of the Assembly polls.
The publication follows a series of incremental updates aimed at resolving the status of over 60 lakh names that remained under judicial scrutiny after the post-SIR rolls were released on February 28. Sources indicate that approximately 10 lakh names were cleared in the first supplementary list on March 23, followed by another 21 lakh in the second list released on March 27. With the third list now public, the commission is moving toward finalizing the electoral roll for the 294-member Assembly, though it has yet to clarify how many of the remaining “doubtful” cases have been rejected or approved.
According to EC officials, the phased release is in compliance with court directives to provide regular updates on the adjudication process. Initially, the state’s eligible electors stood at 7.66 crore, which was slashed to 7.08 crore during the enumeration phase due to deaths, migration, and duplication. As of the February 28 roll, the number of valid voters was just over 7.04 crore. With the Assembly elections scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, the Commission is under pressure to resolve all pending cases before the counting of votes on May 4.
