The ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal may lead to the removal of at least 10 lakh names from the draft voter list, according to Election Commission (EC) sources. Officials said that after digitising 4.55 crore SIR forms so far, around 10 lakh entries have been flagged for deletion. With more than 4 crore forms yet to be digitised, the final number of deletions is expected to rise.
Of the names identified for removal, approximately 6 to 6.5 lakh belong to deceased voters, based on data collected by booth level officers (BLOs) during door-to-door distribution and collection of forms. A significant number of duplicate, permanently shifted and untraceable voters have also been detected. EC officials clarified that any valid claim submitted during the verification window will ensure the reinstatement of eligible voters.
West Bengal has distributed 7.64 crore forms out of an electorate of over 7.66 crore, achieving nearly 99.75% coverage. CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal said more than 80,600 BLOs, 8,000 supervisors and other election officials are involved in the exercise, which began on November 4. Many of the 10 lakh flagged entries fall under “uncollectable” forms due to absenteeism or invalid records.
