‘No Welfare Benefits’ to Those Deleted in SIR in Bengal and Bihar Triggers Debate over Relationship between Citizenship Verification & Roll Revision

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in both West Bengal and Bihar have announced that individuals excluded during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may be denied access to welfare benefits, triggering fresh debate over the relationship between citizenship verification, voter eligibility and state welfare delivery.
 
In West Bengal, the controversy emerged after state Women and Child Development Minister Agnimitra Paul stated that women whose names had been removed from voter rolls during the SIR process would not receive benefits under the newly announced Annapurna Bhandar scheme. The scheme, introduced by the new BJP government led by Suvendu Adhikari, is scheduled to replace the previous Trinamool Congress government’s Lakshmir Bhandar programme from June 1.

Under Annapurna Bhandar, eligible women are expected to receive monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000, double the ₹1,500 provided under Lakshmir Bhandar.
Paul said the government would conduct an “analysis” of beneficiaries before transferring funds.

According to her remarks, individuals whose names had been deleted during the SIR exercise, as well as deceased persons and “non-citizens”, would not remain eligible for welfare assistance.

“We will do an analysis before June 1. Those whose names have been struck off, if they are receiving [money under the schemes] then they are not supposed to. Someone who is dead is not supposed to get it.

Someone who is not a citizen of this country, they are not supposed to get it. So, we will do this analysis. Those whose names have been struck off, how many of them have been getting Lakshmir Bhandar, their names will be removed,” Paul said.

The minister also indicated that people whose appeals were pending before SIR tribunals, along with applicants under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), would be “considered separately” or “kept aside for the time being”. However, no detailed clarification was issued regarding how such cases would be treated administratively.

The statements came against the backdrop of a large-scale revision of electoral rolls conducted before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. According to reports, nearly 91 lakh names — close to 12% of the electorate — were removed from the rolls during the SIR process.

Around 27 lakh cases reportedly remained under dispute and were pending before appellate tribunals when polling took place.

The revision exercise became one of the most contentious political issues during the Bengal election campaign. Critics alleged that significant numbers of legitimate voters, including members of the Matua community and other Bengali-speaking populations, had been excluded. BJP leaders, meanwhile, defended the exercise as an attempt to remove duplicate, deceased or allegedly illegal foreign entrants from electoral rolls.

Questions have also arisen regarding the position of individuals whose cases are still pending before tribunals. Reports noted that many welfare recipients could temporarily lose access to government schemes despite not having received a final adjudication on their electoral status. The Wire reported that the tribunals had been unable to process all appeals before the electoral rolls were frozen ahead of voting.
The issue gained further national attention after Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary reportedly made similar remarks regarding welfare access in Bihar. According to reports, Choudhary said individuals excluded from electoral rolls during SIR “will not be entitled to any government benefits, including ration and other welfare schemes”. He also reportedly stated that bank passbooks linked to such individuals could be cancelled “in due course of time”, though no formal order was publicly cited.

The Bihar announcement came shortly after the developments in West Bengal, drawing comparisons between the two BJP-ruled states. The linkage of welfare access with voter-roll verification has intensified concerns among opposition parties and civil society groups over the broader implications of SIR exercises.

Bihar Cancels Social Security Schemes for those Deleted in SIR

Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary also spoke on lines of Paul. He announced those deleted in the roll revision “will not be entitled to any government benefits, including ration and other welfare schemes” adding that the passbooks of such persons will be excluded from the voter list will also be “cancelled in due course of time.” 

The debate has also intersected with ongoing legal and constitutional questions. Earlier in 2026, the Election Commission reportedly told the Supreme Court that individuals found ineligible to vote through electoral revision exercises would not automatically cease to be Indian citizens. 

At the same time, the treatment of CAA applicants has emerged as a politically sensitive issue.

In West Bengal, many Matua and refugee-background Hindu communities have been vocal supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and are considered an important BJP support base. Reports noted that despite this, persons who had applied under the CAA could also temporarily remain outside the ambit of welfare distribution until verification processes are completed. 

Government representatives in Bengal have maintained that the objective is to prevent misuse of welfare schemes and ensure benefits reach only verified and eligible recipients. 

Agnimitra Paul argued that deceased persons and non-citizens should not remain on beneficiary lists and said scrutiny would be undertaken before fresh payments are released.