West Bengal’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has shown a surprising discrepancy. Initial reports from district election officials suggested that 2,208 booths had no deceased, missing, relocated, or duplicate voters. All the voter forms from these booths were reportedly fully filled and submitted.
However, after the Election Commission (EC) requested detailed district reports on Monday, the updated data reached the EC on Tuesday, showing a sharp drop. The number of “clean booths” has fallen from 2,208 to just 480. This steep reduction within 24 hours has raised questions about how such a large change could happen so quickly.
EC sources said the highest counts of clean booths are in South 24 Parganas: Raydighi has 66, Kulpi 58, Magrahat 15, and Patharpratima 20. Some officials suggest that continuous data updates may explain the variation, but the development has drawn scrutiny from political leaders.
BJP central minister Sukanta Majumdar criticized the change, saying, “Yesterday, EC received information that over 2,200 booths had all forms returned, showing no deaths or relocations. Suddenly, the number dropped to 480. Is this magic? Only in Bengal.”
The EC has also highlighted verification issues in certain booths. The most common problem is progeny mapping, where voter verification is conducted using parents or grandparents. Voters not listed in the 2002 electoral roll are being asked to undergo re-verification. Booths with many non-verified cases have been instructed to be rechecked by observers.
As of Tuesday evening, 46.20 lakh voter forms have been returned. Category-wise, they include 22.28 lakh deceased voters, 6.41 lakh missing, 16.22 lakh relocated, and 1.05 lakh double entries. Among districts, Kolkata North shows the highest percentage of dead voters at 6.91%, while East Medinipur has the lowest at 1.4%.
In a related move, the EC has asked district magistrates to report polling stations inside high-rise buildings by December 6. This initiative aims to improve voter turnout in apartment complexes and other densely populated residential areas.
The sudden drop in clean booths highlights the challenges of maintaining accurate electoral rolls in a large state like West Bengal. The EC continues to review data carefully to ensure the integrity of the voter list ahead of upcoming elections.
