EC Flags 1.4 Crore Doubtful Voter Entries in Bengal Draft List

Kolkata, Dec 2025 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) has identified nearly 1.4 crore doubtful entries in West Bengal’s draft voters’ list, published on December 16. As part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Commission will now seek written explanations from booth-level officers (BLOs) regarding these anomalies.

Officials from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said BLOs must justify why certain names were recommended for inclusion in the draft electoral roll, and eventually into the final voters’ list due on February 14, 2026. These explanations will guide the ECI in determining which cases warrant hearings on claims and objections, expected to begin by December 27.

The suspected entries fall into four major categories. The first includes progeny mapping cases—instances where voters aged 45 or above were missing from the 2002 voters’ list, despite being eligible, and have now been added through progeny verification. The second involves early parenthood anomalies, including highly unusual cases where voters are shown to have become parents as early as age five. The third category points to early grandparenthood, in which some voters appear to have become grandfathers at or before 40. The final category concerns parental name duplications, where records list identical names for both father and mother of a voter.

Officials emphasised that these irregularities are likely the result of clerical or data entry issues, but each case will be examined meticulously to ensure accuracy and transparency. The goal, they said, is to strengthen the integrity of the electoral roll ahead of the next West Bengal Assembly elections.

With the final voters’ list set for publication in February next year, the ECI’s review marks a significant step in maintaining error-free records. Once the electoral roll is confirmed, the Commission is expected to move towards announcing the schedule for the state polls, reinforcing its commitment to free, fair, and credible elections.