The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has issued a critical directive to all Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the state, mandating a thorough re-verification of voter registration forms. The core instruction is to identify and delete the names of deceased voters and those who have permanently shifted from their constituencies. The CEO's office has set a strict deadline for this special intensive revision: all corrections must be completed by December 11, 2025.
Alarming Discrepancy in Booth Reports
A senior official from the CEO's office revealed a startling statistic that underscores the urgency of this drive. Initially, a total of 2,208 polling booths across Bengal had reported having no dead or shifted voters on their lists in the past year. This number saw a drastic reduction to just 480 booths two days ago. However, in the latest and most shocking update, only seven polling booths in the entire state are now claiming to have a completely clean list, free from such discrepancies.
The Mandate for Booth Level Officers
This dramatic fall in numbers has triggered immediate action from the election machinery. The BLOs, who are the grassroots officials responsible for maintaining accurate voter lists in their assigned areas, have been instructed to physically re-verify every form. Their task involves cross-checking the current roll with ground reality to ensure it reflects only genuine, resident voters. The removal of ineligible names is considered a vital step for ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and preventing potential misuse during future polls.
Deadline and Implications
With the deadline of December 11, 2025, the state election authority is working on a tight schedule. This intensive revision is a significant administrative exercise aimed at purging the electoral rolls of errors that can undermine public trust in the democratic system. A clean and updated voter list is fundamental to conducting free and fair elections, and this drive highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining such a list in a large and populous state like West Bengal.
The directive comes as part of a continuous process of electoral roll management, but the sharp correction in the data provided by the booths has evidently accelerated the timeline for this particular verification round. All eyes will now be on the final report post the December 11 deadline to assess the scale of corrections made.
