📊 Muslim-majority districts see highest “under adjudication” cases in SIR

Following the publication of the final electoral rolls after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) show a large number of voters whose eligibility is still unresolved and classified as “under adjudication” — meaning their supporting documents are pending judicial scrutiny before final confirmation.

• Murshidabad has the highest number of such voters — about 11.01 lakh awaiting detailed examination.

• Malda follows with 8.28 lakh electors in the same category.

• Other districts with large adjudication cases include North 24 Parganas (5.9 lakh), South 24 Parganas (5.22 lakh) and Uttar Dinajpur (4.8 lakh).

Most of these districts border Bangladesh and have significant Muslim populations, which has drawn political attention and debate over the SIR process.

Eligible voters whose documents are still under review remain in the rolls for now, but their status will be finalized only after judicial officers complete their adjudication.

Across the state, around 60 lakh electors are under adjudication, while over 63 lakh names have already been deleted from the rolls as part of the SIR exercise.

📍 Political Reaction: Mamata Banerjee to Stage Sit-In Protest

In response to the SIR update and the large number of deletions and unresolved cases, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a sit-in protest (dharna):

• The protest is scheduled to begin **on March 6, 2026 at Metro Channel, Esplanade, Kolkata.

• The sit-in is being organised in opposition to the Election Commission’s handling of the voter list revisions and deletions ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections.

• The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership, including national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, has framed it as a demonstration against what they describe as “large-scale deletions” and the issues faced by electors included under adjudication.

• The protest is expected to involve party workers and supporters from across Kolkata and adjoining areas.

Mamata and her party have criticised the SIR exercise, suggesting that it unfairly affects voters in key constituencies and particularly in areas with high minority populations — allegations that have been contested by other political actors and by the Election Commission.

🗳️ Political Context Ahead of Elections

This dispute comes just weeks before the West Bengal Assembly elections (expected at the end of April 2026), making the status of the voter list a highly charged political issue. The SIR process — intended to clean and verify electoral rolls — has become a flashpoint between the state government and the central poll authority.

Critics from the ruling TMC argue that many genuine voters are being caught up in procedural scrutiny, while supporters of the poll exercise maintain it’s meant to ensure accuracy and remove duplicate or ineligible entries.