'Striking anomaly': Study flags Muslim names disproportionately figure in SIR's logical discrepancy lists in 4 Kolkata seats

Kolkata: A recently published study has flagged what it calls a "striking anomaly" in Kolkata's voter roll revision exercise, claiming that Muslims figure disproportionately in the Logical Discrepancy (LD) lists across four Assembly seats during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The study of the LD lists in Ballygunge, Kolkata Port, Metiabruz and Bhabanipur, the constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, suggests that the percentage of Muslim-identifiable names flagged under the category far exceeds their estimated share in the population of these constituencies.

The research was conducted by the Kolkata-based Sabar Institute, which works on addressing social disparities.

Repeated calls and messages to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, seeking a response to the findings did not elicit a reply until the time of filing this report.

The findings came against the backdrop of the SIR exercise, which has already resulted in the exclusion of over 58.2 lakh names statewide under the absent, permanently shifted, dead, and duplicate (ASDD) category, shrinking West Bengal's electorate from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore.

The second phase of the SIR is currently underway and involves hearings of 1.67 crore electors under scrutiny, including 1.36 crore flagged for LD and around 31 lakh voters whose records lack mapping.

Researcher Ashin Chakraborty, who along with senior researcher Sabir Ahamed conducted the study, said the institute first analysed the December 16 ASDD exclusion list, comprising around 58 lakh names, amid allegations that Muslim voters were being disproportionately struck off.

"In the December exclusion list, the proportion of Muslim names broadly matched their population share in those constituencies. We did not find evidence of excessive Muslim exclusion at that stage," Chakraborty told PTI.

A similar pattern was observed in the "unmapped voters" list, where Muslim representation largely tracked demographic proportions.

"When it comes to the list involving LD, we did not receive the full list. It is not uploaded on the website. Using our sources and assets, we managed to obtain the lists from local BLOs. What we observed there raises concerns. The proportion of Muslim names appears to be two to three times their population share in some instances. This pattern was not present in the earlier two lists," he said.

In Bhabanipur, Muslims constitute around 20 per cent of the population. While their share in the ASDD and unmapped lists was around 23 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, the LD list shows a Muslim representation of about 52 per cent, the study claims.

In Ballygunge, where Muslims make up an estimated 50 per cent of the electorate, their share in the ASDD and unmapped lists stood at 42 per cent and 44 per cent. In the LD list, however, it rises sharply to nearly 77.5 per cent.

The pattern is stark in Kolkata Port and Metiabruz, both Muslim-majority constituencies. In Kolkata Port, Muslims account for roughly 50 per cent of voters but 82 per cent of those flagged under LD, the study said.

In Metiabruz, where Muslims constitute around 60 per cent of the population, their share in the LD list is reported to be as high as 87 per cent.

Logical discrepancies include alleged mismatches in a parent's name or unusual age differences between a voter and a parent.

Chakraborty said the institute converted the lists from PDF to Excel and used a machine learning model to classify names as Muslim or non-Muslim based on nomenclature patterns. "The model performs with reasonably high accuracy. It was through this process that we derived the evidence," he said.

The TMC said the findings vindicated its charge that the SIR exercise was "designed to harass minorities and urban poor voters".

A senior TMC leader said, "First, they said it is about dead and duplicate voters. Now we see that in the so-called LD list, minority names are being flagged disproportionately. This raises serious questions about intent."

The BJP, however, rejected the allegation, asserting that the SIR was a "routine and transparent" revision process.

"The Election Commission is an independent constitutional body. Logical discrepancies are technical issues. Linking this to religion is a political attempt by the TMC to polarise voters ahead of the 2026 elections," a state BJP leader said.

The controversy unfolds amid sweeping deletions in Kolkata under the SIR draft rolls released on December 16.

In south Kolkata, the four assembly segments of Bhabanipur, Kolkata Port, Ballygunge and Rashbehari together saw over 2.16 lakh names deleted- nearly 24 per cent of their combined electorate of around 9.07 lakh when the process began.

Bhabanipur alone accounted for 44,787 deletions from an electorate of 2,06,295 - nearly 21.7 per cent.

Kolkata Port, represented by Mayor Firhad Hakim, recorded 63,730 deletions - over 26 per cent of its electorate while Ballygunge and Rashbehari also saw significant reductions.

Metiabruz recorded around 39,000 deletions during the draft list released on December 16.

North Kolkata presented an even sharper churn, with seven seats together witnessing deletions of about 3.9 lakh names, nearly 25.85 per cent of their electorate.