New Delhi, Dec. 16 -- The newly published draft electoral rolls for West Bengal, released under the Election Commission's (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR), have immediately become a flashpoint for political conflict. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has seized upon the data to sharply contradict the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prior assertion that "one crore Rohingyas and Bangladeshis" are fraudulently listed as voters in the state.

Following a month of rigorous enumeration, verification, and scrutiny conducted in preparation for the 2026 assembly elections, the draft registers were finalized. While the overall exercise led to the removal of over 58 lakh names - on grounds ranging from death and permanent migration to duplicat...