The recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections delivered a sweeping mandate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 207 seats, while the TMC finished with 80.
However, the question still looming large is what impact did the adjudication deletion of of 27 lakh voters due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls have on the results?
On several seats, the number of adjudication-deleted voters was many times higher than the victory margin. Did this shift the balance of power? How did the BJP gain an edge in Muslim-majority areas? Did the deletions alter the winning equations of the 2021 victors in 2026?
How Did the BJP Benefit?
Out of West Bengal’s 294 Assembly seats, there are 49 constituencies where the number of voters deleted after adjudication was significantly higher than the victory margin. Among these 49 seats, the BJP won 26, the TMC secured 21, and the Congress won 2.
A comparison with the 2021 results suggests that deletions dealt a major blow to the TMC.
Of these 49 seats, the BJP had only won one in the 2021 election, while the TMC held the remaining 48. In the 2026 election, however, the TMC lost 27 of those 48 seats.
Pandabeswar recorded 5,898 voter deletions. Here, BJP candidate Jitendra Kumar Tiwari won by a narrow margin of just 1,398 votes—making the deletions more than four times the victory margin.
Pandua saw 11,494 voter deletions. Here, the BJP’s Tushar Kumar Majumdar secured victory by 5,228 votes. The number of deleted voters exceeded the winning margin by 6,266.
Nakashipara witnessed 21,890 voter deletions. Here, BJP candidate Shantanu won by 17,327 votes, meaning the deletions were again higher than the margin of victory.
Asansol Uttar reported 14,531 deleted voters. Here, the BJP’s Krishnendu Mukherjee led the TMC’s Malay Ghatak by 11,615 votes, with the deletions exceeding the lead margin.
TMC Suffers Heavy Losses in Muslim-Majority Districts
Districts in West Bengal with the highest Muslim populations also witnessed voter deletions, and these regions saw major setbacks for the TMC.
Murshidabad, where Muslims constitute 66.27 percent of the population, recorded the highest number of deletions post adjudication in the state, with 455,137 voters removed from the electoral rolls. In the 2021 election, the TMC had won 20 seats in the district, while the BJP had secured only 2. In 2026, however, the TMC’s tally dropped to 9 seats, while the BJP expanded its presence to 8 seats.
Malda, with a Muslim population of 51.27 percent, saw 239,375 voters deleted—a deletion rate of 28.9 percent. In 2021, the TMC held 8 seats and the BJP 4, but after the large-scale deletions in 2026, both parties were tied at 6 seats each.
Uttar Dinajpur, where Muslims make up 49.92 percent of the population, recorded 176,972 voter deletions with a deletion rate of 36.85 percent. The TMC, which had won 7 seats in 2021, was reduced to 5 seats in 2026, while the BJP increased its tally from 2 to 4 seats.
The Political Map in Mid-Muslim Population Districts
Several districts with Muslim populations between 15 percent and 35 percent also witnessed some of the highest deletion rates in the state. In many of these regions, the TMC’s dominance from 2021 appeared to reverse sharply in the BJP’s favour in 2026.
Nadia, where Muslims account for 26.76 percent of the population, recorded the state’s highest deletion rate at 77.86 percent, with 208,626 voters removed. In 2021, the TMC had won 8 seats, while the BJP secured 9. By 2026, the BJP surged to 14 seats, while the TMC was reduced to just 3.
Hooghly, with a Muslim population of 15.77 percent, recorded the second-highest deletion rate at 70.33 percent, with 120,813 voters deleted. The TMC, which had won 14 seats in 2021, was reduced to only 2 seats in 2026, while the BJP jumped from 4 seats to 16.
North 24 Parganas, where Muslims make up 25.82 percent of the population, witnessed 325,666 voter deletions. Considered one of the TMC’s strongest bastions, the party had won 28 seats in 2021, while the BJP had secured 5. In 2026, the picture reversed dramatically, with the BJP leading on 22 seats, and the TMC reduced to 11.
Adjudication Deletions Reshape SC/ST Reserved Seats
Voter deletions post adjudication process appear to have significantly influenced results in Assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). In several reserved constituencies, victory margins were limited to just a few thousand votes, while the number of deleted voters ran into tens of thousands.
West Bengal has 84 SC/ST reserved seats. In the 2021 election, the BJP had won 39 of these seats, while the TMC secured 45. In 2026, however, the BJP’s tally surged to 67 seats, while the TMC was reduced to 17.
Among these 84 constituencies, there were 10 seats where the number of deleted voters exceeded the victory margin. The BJP won 6 of these seats, while the TMC secured 4.
Raina (SC), which the TMC had won in 2021, flipped to the BJP in 2026 by a margin of just 834 votes. The constituency recorded 11,284 voter deletions.
Hemtabad (SC) and Kushmandi (SC) also witnessed large-scale deletions, with 18,215 and 13,581 voters removed, respectively. The BJP overtook the TMC in both constituencies in 2026.
Uluberia Uttar (SC) saw 6,193 voter deletions. Here, the BJP won the seat by only 4,177 votes.
Industrial Belt and Central Bengal Witness Political Shift
Industrial and central Bengal regions such as Bardhaman-Durgapur, Asansol, and Hooghly witnessed moderate-to-high levels of voter deletions, alongside major electoral reversals for the TMC.
Jangipur recorded the highest adjudication-related voter deletions in the state, with 275,900 names removed from the rolls. In 2021, the TMC had won all 9 Assembly seats in the region. By 2026, the TMC’s tally dropped to 5 seats, while the BJP gained ground on 3 seats.
In Bardhaman-Durgapur, 88,087 voters were deleted. The TMC had won 6 seats in 2021, while the BJP held just 1. In 2026, the situation reversed dramatically, with the BJP leading on 6 seats, and the TMC reduced to 1.
Asansol witnessed 62,555 voter deletions, and the electoral picture changed sharply. In 2021, the TMC held 5 seats, while the BJP had 2. In 2026, the BJP was leading on all 7 seats, while the TMC failed to secure any.
BJP Tightens Grip on North Bengal Border Districts
Border districts of North Bengal—including Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Darjeeling—have long been considered BJP strongholds, but the post-deletion electoral trends indicate an even stronger consolidation in the party’s favour.
Cooch Behar recorded 120,725 voter deletions. In 2021, the TMC had won 2 seats in the district, but by 2026, it was reduced to just 1 seat. The BJP’s tally increased from 7 to 8.
Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar together witnessed nearly 71,000 voter deletions—35,356 in Jalpaiguri and 36,078 in Alipurduar. In 2026, the BJP was leading on all 12 Assembly seats across the two districts—7 in Jalpaiguri and 5 in Alipurduar—while the TMC failed to win a single seat.
Darjeeling also recorded 44,230 voter deletions, with the BJP maintaining its dominance across all 5 Assembly seats in the district.