Transparency activists allege that a secret algorithm deleted 2.7 million [1] voter records in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 [2] state elections.

The scale of the alleged deletions raises critical questions about the integrity of the electoral process in one of India's most politically contested states. If the records were removed without proper oversight, it could disenfranchise millions of citizens and skew the final election results.

Yogendra Yadav, Anjali Bhardwaj, and Amrita Johri have raised concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The activists said the records were removed through a hidden mechanism rather than standard administrative procedures.

Officials have reportedly described the process as a necessary step to correct a "logical discrepancy" in the electoral roll. However, the activists said this explanation masks a targeted purge intended to influence the 2026 [2] election outcome.

The controversy centers on the lack of transparency surrounding the SIR algorithm. Critics argue that the removal of 2.7 million [1] entries, a massive segment of the voting population, requires public disclosure and a clear audit trail to ensure no legitimate voters were excluded.

Because the deletions occurred just before the state elections, the timing has intensified calls for an independent investigation into the electoral roll's accuracy. The activists said the current system lacks the necessary safeguards to prevent political interference in voter registration.

“2.7 million voter records were removed through a hidden mechanism”

The allegation of a 'secret algorithm' used for voter deletion suggests a shift toward technological vulnerabilities in electoral integrity. If proven, the removal of millions of voters under the guise of correcting logical discrepancies could set a precedent for using data-cleansing tools as a means of political engineering, potentially undermining public trust in democratic transitions.