All Muslim voters, including BLO, deleted from one Bengal booth
26 Mar 2026

A controversy has erupted in West Bengal's Basirhat North Assembly constituency after all 340 voters were removed from the electoral roll.

The deletions came to light after the first supplementary list was published on Wednesday.

The affected voters, all Muslims from Booth No. 5 in Boro Gobra village, were earlier marked "under adjudication" in the draft roll, India Today reported.

Booth level officer's name also deleted
Officer's exclusion

The situation worsened when it was found that even the name of Booth Level Officer Md Shafiul Alam was deleted.

Responding to the removal, more than 100 residents staged a protest, alleging targeted exclusion based on their community.

Alam, who also works as a schoolteacher, said, "My parents were listed in 2002, and I was mapped to them. I was called to a hearing due to...mismatch in my father's name. But now, all electors under adjudication have been struck off."

Electoral authorities unreachable amid growing tension
Unresolved concerns

Alam said his attempts to resolve the issue with Basirhat Block II's Block Development Officer were unsuccessful.

The Electoral Registration Officer also remained unreachable, adding to the uncertainty surrounding this mass deletion.

Another resident, Md Tarikul Alam, pointed out discrepancies within his own family listing. "We are five siblings, but the roll showed six. How did this happen?" he asked.

Protesters allege political influence in deletions
Document scrutiny

Kajirul Mondal, one of the affected voters, questioned the document requirements of the Election Commission.

He said while only one of 11 valid documents is required, many submitted three or four but were still purged.

Protesters alleged political influence in these deletions to meet specific partisan demands.

Alam has decided to take legal recourse over the issue.

Only 18 of these cases were resolved
Legal recourse

The controversy revolves around Booth No. 5 in Begumpur Bibipur Gram Panchayat, Basirhat Block II, which has 992 registered voters. Officials confirmed that 38 names were removed due to death or relocation, while 358 voters were summoned for hearings over eligibility concerns.

Of these, only 18 of these cases were resolved in the draft roll, with the remaining 340 being adjudicated.