India Scraps 9 Million Voters as West Bengal Election Ends in Blood and Fraud Claims

**India Scraps 9 Million Voters as West Bengal Election Ends in Blood and Fraud Claims** India’s final phase of voting in West Bengal descended into chaos Tuesday, with reports of violence and accusations of rigging from both sides, just weeks after officials struck nearly 10 percent of the state’s voters from the rolls [135825][135085]. The last round of polling pits Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a high-stakes battle for control over the eastern state [135825]. Security forces swarmed polling stations after scattered incidents of violence, and both major parties traded allegations of vote-rigging [135825]. The contested election follows a controversial pre-poll move by election authorities, who removed roughly 9 million names—about one in ten registered voters—from West Bengal’s electoral list [135085]. Officials described the deletions as routine cleaning of duplicate and deceased records, but critics charged the timing threatens the poll’s integrity in a politically sensitive region [135085]. The outcome of the West Bengal election is widely seen as a key test of national political strength, with potential to reshape India’s political landscape [135825]. Sources: India Election: Final Phase in West Bengal Marred by Violence, Allegations of Rigging India Removes 9 Million Voters from List Ahead of West Bengal Election