Barely 24 hours after the completion of enumeration under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the Election Commission released detailed constituency-wise data on voters facing deletion from the electoral rolls.

The figures reveal that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s constituency, Bhabanipur, has seen more than one-fifth of its electorate marked for deletion, even as North Kolkata’s Chowringhee emerges as the worst-affected constituency not only in the city but also across West Bengal.

According to the data, Bhabanipur had a total of 2,06,295 registered voters. Of these, 44,787 voters — amounting to 21.71 per cent — have been flagged for deletion.

The largest chunk of deletions in the Chief Minister’s constituency falls under the “untraceable” category (19,471), followed by deaths (10,897) and voters who have shifted out (12,547). Smaller numbers were marked for deletion due to duplicate enrolment (1,097) and other reasons (775).

Election officials said the figures reflect the outcome of an extensive door-to-door verification exercise.

“The SIR process is aimed at cleaning the rolls by removing ineligible names such as deceased voters, those who have permanently shifted, or duplicate entries. No deletion is final until claims and objections are heard,” a senior official in the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office said on condition of anonymity.

The Bhabanipur numbers assume political significance given the constituency’s high-profile nature.

Mamata Banerjee won the Bhabanipur bypoll in 2021 with a margin of over 58,000 votes, while the seat has traditionally recorded high voter density and turnout.

With over 44,000 names now under the deletion list, the scale of revision has already triggered intense political scrutiny.

Across South Kolkata, the trend remains similar. Ballygunge recorded 65,171 voters facing deletion out of 2,55,190 voters — a high 25.54 per cent — while Kolkata Port saw 63,730 deletions (26.18 per cent), Rashbehari 42,519 (21 per cent), and Bhabanipur 44,787.

In total, South Kolkata has 9,07,456 voters, of whom 2,16,207 — or 23.83 per cent — are facing deletion. Untraceable voters (70,589) and shifted voters (80,692) together form the bulk of deletions in the southern part of the city.

However, it is North Kolkata that presents the most striking picture. Chowringhee (Assembly constituency number 162) has recorded the highest number of deletions anywhere in the state. Out of 2,10,246 voters, as many as 74,553 names — a staggering 35.46 per cent — have been marked for deletion.

The largest category here is “untraceable” voters at 35,042, followed by 25,053 voters who have reportedly shifted and 13,742 deaths.

“This is the single highest figure among all 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal,” another CEO office official said. “Urban mobility, rental population, and outdated addresses contribute significantly to high ‘untraceable’ numbers in central Kolkata pockets like Chowringhee.”

Chowringhee is closely followed by Jorasanko, which has also crossed the 35 per cent mark.

In Jorasanko, 72,900 voters out of 1,97,839 — or 36.85 per cent — have been listed for deletion, making it the second-highest affected constituency in the state.

Here too, untraceable voters (37,193) form the largest segment, underscoring the challenge of voter verification in densely populated, high-migration urban areas.

Other North Kolkata constituencies show comparatively lower but still significant figures.

Entally has 49,084 deletions (20.54 per cent), Beleghata 56,487 (22.42 per cent), Shyampukur 42,303 (24.06 per cent), Maniktola 41,870 (20.05 per cent), and Kashipur-Belgachia 53,360 (23.96 per cent).

Taken together, North Kolkata has 15,06,339 voters, with 3,90,557 names — or 25.93 per cent — facing deletion.

Citywide, the scale of the revision is substantial. Kolkata has a total of 24,13,795 voters, of whom 6,06,764 have been marked for deletion, translating into 25.13 per cent of the electorate.

Election officials stressed that these figures represent a preliminary stage. “The draft electoral rolls will be published shortly, after which voters will get full opportunity to file claims and objections. Genuine voters need not panic,” an official said.

With Chowringhee topping the deletion list statewide and Bhabanipur witnessing over 21 per cent of voters under scrutiny, the SIR exercise has placed Kolkata — and especially its most politically prominent constituencies — at the centre of a growing debate ahead of the publication of the draft rolls.