In a major development with significant implications for electoral integrity, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal announced that an estimated 47,06,902 voter names are likely to be removed from the state’s electoral rolls.
Officials stressed that the figure remains provisional and may change following ongoing verification.
According to Election Commission (EC) sources, the massive proposed deletion includes:
22,45,861 deceased voters
16,53,833 voters who have shifted residence
6,76,621 untraceable or “ghost” voters
1,07,781 duplicate registrations
22,806 voters removed for miscellaneous reasons
Suspicious Booths Under Investigation
A senior EC officer revealed a startling discovery — three villages in West Bengal showed zero self-mapping to the 2002 Special Summary Revision (SIR) electoral roll.
This means none of the current electors in these booths lived there in 2002, which is practically impossible. An inquiry has been ordered,” the officer stated.
The three booths flagged are:
Part 110, Dinahata Assembly (Cooch Behar) — 782 votersPart 48, Kultali Assembly (South 24 Parganas) — 768 votersPart 53, Pandua Assembly (Hooghly) — 668 voters
District-Wise Deceased Voter Count
Data reveals striking discrepancies across regions:
Kolkata North — highest with 6.91% deceased voters (1,04,076)
Kolkata South — 6.06% (54,985)
North 24 Parganas — 2,88,000 (3.46%)
South 24 Parganas — 2,79,000 (3.25%)
Lowest percentages: East Medinipur — 1.4% (59,800), West Medinipur — 2% (80,130)
Special Observer on the Ground
Retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta, appointed as Special Observer for the SIR, has begun district inspections.
On Wednesday, he visited East Burdwan, after earlier tours of South 24 Parganas, interacting with SDOs and BDOs overseeing the verification.
Scrutiny of Enumeration Forms Intensifies
The EC on Tuesday revised its earlier statement that 2,208 booths had returned 100% enumeration forms, correcting the figure to 480 booths.
These booths, along with those reporting 1–10 returned forms, have been marked for “strict scrutiny”, as such figures imply anomalously low numbers of deceased or shifted voters.
An EC official warned: False information on forms is a punishable offence. Even if a name appears in the 2002 roll, but current details look suspicious, the voter may be summoned for a hearing.”
The revised numbers were submitted after districts were instructed to double-check their data and submit accurate figures on Tuesday at noon.
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