A major controversy has erupted in West Bengal after glaring errors surfaced in the revised draft voter list. The Election Commission released the list on Tuesday following a statewide Special Intensive Revision.
In a shocking case, Ashwini Adhikari and his wife Shibani, daily wage labourers from Bengal, appeared as “dead” voters. Both are alive. The ruling Trinamool Congress presented the couple at a press conference to highlight the issue.
Trinamool district president Abhijit Bhowmick said the couple had submitted their enumeration forms correctly. He questioned how their names still appeared under deceased voters. He accused the Election Commission of acting with political intent and giving Booth Level Officers insufficient time.
Similar errors emerged elsewhere. A Trinamool councillor from Dankuni, Surya De, also appeared on the dead voters list. The Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to the concerned Booth Level Officer. It also flagged similar cases in Cooch Behar and Siliguri.
Another error triggered outrage when CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim and his son received the surname “Awasthi” in official records. Salim’s son called the mistake alarming and raised concerns about larger inaccuracies.
The Election Commission deleted 58 lakh names statewide. Officials marked 24 lakh voters as dead, 19 lakh as permanently shifted, and 12 lakh as missing. Political tensions continue to rise as parties demand accountability.
