West Bengal Waqf Validations Surge by 35,000 Following UMEED Portal Integration
Data from the Union Minority Affairs Ministry reveals a significant spike in validated Waqf properties in West Bengal through the UMEED portal. Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed 115,551 approved properties as of mid-2026, marking a sharp rise from previous counts.
Key takeaways
- West Bengal validated 115,551 Waqf properties on the UMEED portal by July 15, 2026, up from 80,548 in February 2025.
- Union Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that 12,720 property registrations were rejected during the verification process.
- The State Waqf Board attribute the surge to a 15-year gap in property surveys now being rectified through central digitization.
- Despite opposing the Waqf Amendment Act, the Mamata Banerjee government urged citizens to register to avoid property alienation.
Parliamentary Disclosure Confirms Increased Documentation
The Union Minority Affairs Ministry reports that West Bengal has validated and approved 115,551 Waqf properties on the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal as of July 15, 2026. This figure represents a substantial increase from the 80,548 properties documented in February 2025. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju provided these figures to the Lok Sabha in response to inquiries from Samik Bhattacharya, the Bharatiya West Bengal State President.
According to the official ministerial response, the Board of Auqaf in West Bengal initiated the uploading process for 133,417 properties. While over 115,000 reached final approval, the verification process led to the rejection of 12,720 entries. The Ministry noted that the state board successfully met the extended statutory deadlines for this data integration.
Political Tension and Policy Contradictions
The rapid rise in registrations follows a period of intense friction between the state and central governments. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has remained a vocal critic of the Waqf Amendment Act, previously moving a resolution in the State Assembly against the legislation in December 2024. Despite legal challenges filed in the Supreme Court, the state administration issued public notices in January 2026 encouraging citizens to register their properties on the central UMEED portal.
Addressing public concerns regarding potential property alienation, the state government clarified through media advertisements that registration does not equate to the transfer of ownership. This dual approach—opposing the federal bill while facilitating portal enrollment—sought to debunk what the administration termed "propaganda" while ensuring compliance with new central mandates.
Internal Factors Driving the Data Surge
Sources within the State Waqf Board indicate that the sudden jump of approximately 35,000 properties in one year stems from long-term administrative backlogs. Key takeaways regarding this increase include:
- A lack of formal surveys over the previous 15 years resulted in a backlog of unregistered holdings.
- The launch of the UMEED portal in June 2025 acted as a catalyst for digitizing these legacy records.
- Increased administrative pressure following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill forced a consolidation of existing local data.
The legislative shift has not been without social cost. The introduction of the bill in 2024 triggered widespread protests across West Bengal, culminating in a violent incident in Murshidabad that resulted in three fatalities. Despite these tensions, the formalization of property records continues to accelerate under the new central framework.
Source: The Hindu — National
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