National Cricketer Richa Ghosh Among Voters ‘Under Adjudication’ in Bengal SIR List, Raises Questions

The name of Indian cricketer Richa Ghosh, part of the national squad that won the Women’s World Cup in 2025 and widely celebrated across the country, has surfaced in the “under adjudication” category of the electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission of India in West Bengal.

The development has drawn attention not only because Ghosh is a prominent sportsperson representing India on the international stage, but also because leaders from multiple political parties had recently visited her residence to congratulate her on the World Cup triumph. Representatives from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress had publicly hailed the cricketer’s achievement, underscoring the national recognition she received after the tournament.

Richa Ghosh and the SIR scrutiny
According to officials, the “under adjudication” category refers to voters whose status is yet to be decided after verification during the revision exercise - responsibility that has now been bestowed upon judicial officers as directed by the Supreme Court of India. Their cases are examined by electoral authorities and judicial officers before a final determination is made regarding their inclusion in the voter list.

The appearance of Ghosh’s name in this category has triggered debate, as she is a public figure who has represented India internationally and is known to reside in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district. But she hasn’t been alone to have come under scrutiny even after being a known personality. Nobel laureate Dr Amartya Sen, Cricketer Mohammad Shami had been served SIR notices under logical discrepancy category, drawing wide scale flak from opposition parties.

Political observers say the case highlights broader concerns being raised about the ongoing revision process and the scale of names flagged during it.

Scale of deletions and scrutiny in Bengal
The issue comes amid one of the largest revisions of electoral rolls in the state in recent years. The Election Commission published the updated voter list on Saturday after completing the SIR exercise. Data released by officials show that more than 63 lakh voter names have been deleted so far, while over 60 lakh names remain under adjudication and are yet to be finalised.

The revision, which began late last year in October, was conducted to update electoral rolls by removing ineligible names due to reasons such as death, migration, duplication or untraceable records, while also adding new eligible voters.

However, the large number of deletions and pending cases has sparked political controversy in the state, with opposition parties alleging errors and raising concerns that genuine voters may have been affected during the process.

Ruling Trinamool Congress has already been questioning discrepancies in the revised rolls and demanding transparency in the list of voters under scrutiny. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused the ECI of being in cahoots with the BJP to help the latter politically. The scale of the revision has turned the SIR process into a major political flashpoint ahead of the upcoming elections in the state.

Within this context, the inclusion of a nationally recognised cricketer like Richa Ghosh among those awaiting adjudication has amplified the discussion, with critics arguing that the episode illustrates potential inconsistencies in the revision exercise.

Officials say that the status of individuals placed under adjudication will be decided after hearings and verification of documents. If found eligible, their names can be restored to the final electoral rolls through the prescribed process.
For now, the case involving Richa Ghosh has become symbolic of the broader debate surrounding the SIR process in West Bengal - a revision exercise that has already reshaped the state’s electoral rolls on a massive scale while leaving millions of names pending a final decision.​