UIDAI, the statutory body behind India’s Aadhaar, has found over 34 lakh card holders in West Bengal to be ‘deceased’ as part of the ECI’s ongoing SIR, sparking accusations of “Silent Invisible Rigging” from CM Mamata Banerjee.
Remember, West Bengal is one of 12 States and Union Territories undergoing the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Ahead of West Bengal’s 2026 Assembly Elections, the ECI is trying to identify dead voters’ names in the electoral rolls and has held meetings with UIDAI authorities and the state’s CEO (Chief Electoral Officer), Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
During that meeting, UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) officials informed the CEO that nearly 34 lakh Aadhaar card holders were found to be ‘deceased’, since the introduction of Aadhaar cards in Jan 2009. Furthermore, 13 lakh people in the state were found to never have possessed Aadhaar cards, but have since died.
According to PTI, a senior official said that the ECI is verifying data from different corners including gathering information from banks since Aadhaar is linked to most accounts. The official reiterated that they are only identifying and not deleting those names.
Following the enumeration phase, the draft rolls will be published on December 9. He adds that if applicants are found to have submitted forms with names that have been removed from the Aadhaar database, they could be summoned by the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) concerned for verification.
Meanwhile, the ruling TMC believes the ECI is making the same mistakes in West Bengal as it did in Bihar.
Didi has vowed to challenge this in courts and through street protests, declaring that she will not allow the BJP to manipulate voter rolls and influence the 2026 elections.
