In West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission (EC) has intensified efforts to eliminate duplicate, fraudulent, and deceased voters as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Authorities have introduced advanced digital tools, including AI-powered facial verification, to ensure a clean and accurate voter list ahead of upcoming elections.
AI to Identify Fake and Deceased Voters in West Bengal
Kolkata:
The Election Commission has decided to deploy AI-based authentication systems to detect voters who are either registered multiple times or are no longer alive.
The new system will scan photographs stored in the voter database and use facial-matching algorithms to flag individuals whose images appear at multiple locations.
An EC official explained that the initiative was prompted by growing complaints about misuse and duplication of voter photographs.
“We are using AI because instances of photo manipulation and multiple registrations have increased.
The facial-matching technology will help us pinpoint such cases accurately,” the official said.
UP Chief Electoral Officer Issues Strict Warning
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has issued a firm advisory to voters: filling voter forms from two different locations during SIR can invite prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, which allows for up to one year of imprisonment or a monetary fine.
Rinwa stated that the Election Commission now has a robust digital mechanism to swiftly identify individuals attempting dual registrations.
He clarified that if a person has their name listed in both—
- their ancestral village, and
- the city where they currently live,
They must submit the revision form from only one place.
The CEO further noted that as the voter list was frozen on 27 October, applicants should file forms only from the constituency where their name currently appears.
He also warned migrants from UP living in cities like Mumbai or Delhi not to file forms from UP again if they are already registered as voters in those states.
“The purpose of SIR is to remove the names of deceased voters and delete duplicate entries across states. Anyone attempting to misuse the process by filing forms from multiple places will face legal consequences,” Rinwa added.
Key Points
- AI facial-matching system was launched in Bengal to detect duplicate or deceased voters.
- UP EC cautions that double form submission equals a punishable offence.
- Digital verification will automatically flag individuals registered in more than one constituency.
- Voters must choose only one location—either their ancestral home or their present place of residence—to file forms.
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