The Union Minority Affairs Ministry recently disclosed to Parliament that West Bengal has witnessed a significant uptick in validated Waqf properties. As of July 15, 2026, a total of 1,15,551 Waqf properties have been validated and approved on the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal, marking an increase from 80,548 properties reported in February 2025. This reflects a growth of approximately 35,000 registrations within just a year.
According to Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, “As on date 15.07.2026, a total of 1,33,417 waqf properties were initiated by the Board of Auqaf, West Bengal for uploading on the UMEED Central Portal–2025. Out of these, 1,15,551 waqf properties have been validated and approved by the approver, while 12,720 properties have been rejected during verification.” This information was shared in response to a question raised by Bharatiya West Bengal State President Samik Bhattacharya.
Previously, the West Bengal State Waqf Board had 80,548 properties registered under its purview. The former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill and committed to safeguarding the Waqf properties within the State. In January 2026, she published an advertisement, stating that the State Waqf Board had filed a writ petition against the bill in the Supreme Court.
Despite her opposition, the Banerjee government encouraged residents to register their properties on the UMEED portal. The advertisement clarified, “Therefore, there is no truth in such propaganda that registration of property details in the new portal [UMEED portal] will result in transfer or alienation of Waqf properties.” This statement came amidst criticism regarding her contradictory stance.
In June 2025, the Central Government launched the UMEED portal to facilitate central registration of properties after the Waqf Amendment Bill was legislated. The topic of Waqf properties has stirred considerable political debate in West Bengal since the introduction of the Bill in 2024. The State Assembly had passed a resolution opposing the Bill in December 2024, which sparked protests, including incidents of communal violence in Murshidabad that resulted in at least three fatalities.
The recent increase in property registrations can be partly attributed to the launch of the UMEED portal in 2025. These properties had remained unregistered for over 15 years since the board’s last survey, leading to a notable increase in registrations over the past year.
