“Right to Vote at Risk”: Prashant Bhushan warns on Bengal roll deletions

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Sunday raised alarm over the large-scale deletion of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, warning that the move could have far-reaching consequences beyond elections.

Addressing a press conference, Prashant Bhushan said the removal of names from electoral rolls risks undermining the constitutional right to vote , cautioning that it could open the door to the dilution of other fundamental rights. “If the right to vote is taken away, it may lead to other rights being withdrawn or weakened,” he said, alleging that the exercise may not be an isolated administrative process but part of a broader pattern.

Backing these concerns, political activist Yogendra Yadav warned that those excluded from voter lists could face scrutiny in other identification systems, including Aadhaar. He cautioned that such developments could indirectly pave the way for an NRC-like exercise , raising broader questions around identity and citizenship in the country.

According to data released by the Election Commission, nearly 91 lakh voters have been deleted from West Bengal’s rolls, amounting to over 11.85 per cent of the electorate based on last year’s figures. The poll body, however, is yet to release the final revised voter list.

Yadav also pointed to “anomalies” in the process, noting that while most states saw an increase in voter numbers after revision, West Bengal recorded a sharp decline. He further alleged that deletions appeared to disproportionately affect certain communities.

Economist Parakala Prabhakar cautioned that the implications could extend beyond immediate electoral outcomes, potentially reshaping the nature of citizenship.

The remarks come ahead of a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court of India, where petitions challenging the SIR exercise are expected to be taken up next week.