Free and fair elections in Bengal? Secret algorithm and mass deletions through SIR

1 month ago 45

27 Lakh voters DELETED in West Bengal just before the 2026 elections using a secret algorithm. Was it a "logical discrepancy" or a “targeted purge” using a secret algorithm? Yogendra Yadav joins transparency activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri to deconstruct the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy in this edition of Jaanne Bhi Do Yaaro on The Wire. For the first time in India’s electoral history, a secret algorithm was deployed to flag 1.36 crore citizens who had to appear at hearings to prove their eligibility, leading to the mass exclusion of 27 lakh names from the voter list without a hearing. Analysis by AltNews of 6 constituencies shows a disproportionate impact on Muslims. 93% of voters flagged for adjudication and deletion were Muslim even though they constituted 52% of the electorate. With the deletion numbers exceeding the winning margins of the last elections in 44 seats, we ask: Is the SIR going to impact the electoral outcome? Is the Election Commission of India (ECI) upholding the principle of free and fair elections? In this video we discuss how the voter lists have been deliberately uploaded in a manner which makes it difficult to access, analyse and compare them. The lists are not machine readable or searchable and can be accessed for only one polling booth at a time using a Captcha. We debate the role of the Supreme Court in allowing the ECI to carry out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in a manner which raises serious questions. The court called the right to vote “the biggest expression of nationality and patriotism” in a democratic government but allowed elections to proceed even as lakhs of people could not vote because their cases were pending before the tribunal. Were elections in West Bengal truly free and fair? Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWtJey46brNr7qHQpN6KLQ/join

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