The Election Commission's intensive Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal is approaching its final stage, revealing a significant number of ineligible entries. The data highlights a pressing issue of deceased individuals still listed as voters, with the Kolkata North parliamentary constituency emerging as the area with the highest proportion of such entries.
Kolkata Constituencies Lead in Deceased Voter Percentages
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Election Commission identified a staggering 1,04,076 deceased voters in Kolkata North. This figure represents 6.9% of the total electors in that Lok Sabha constituency. The neighboring Kolkata South constituency follows closely, with 54,985 deceased voters accounting for 6% of its electoral roll.
A senior EC official provided a statewide breakdown, stating that by 4 PM on Tuesday, approximately 46.2 lakh distributed forms were deemed 'Uncollectable'. These forms pertain to voters who are deceased, untraceable, have permanently shifted, or are duplicates. Among these, the number of deceased voters is nearly 22.3 lakh.
District-Wide Breakdown and Rising Numbers
The official further elaborated on the district-level findings. "Among the deceased voters across Bengal so far, the highest percentage has been identified in Kolkata North," the official said. "For North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas, we have found 3.4% and 3.2% of total electors as deceased, respectively." In absolute numbers, this translates to 2,88,000 deceased voters in North 24 Parganas and 2,79,000 in South 24 Parganas.
The data shows a concerning upward trend. The total count of 'Uncollectable' forms, which includes deceased electors, was 43.3 lakh on Monday. This number increased by 2.9 lakh within just 24 hours, indicating the scale of the cleanup operation. At the other end of the spectrum, East Midnapore and West Midnapore recorded the lowest percentages of deceased voters at 1.4% and 2%, respectively.
EC's Verification Drive and Future Steps
To ensure the integrity of the revised rolls, the Commission has initiated a multi-layered verification process. A list of polling booths with a large number of 'not-verified' applicants has been shared with the special roll observer and twelve electoral roll observers for thorough scrutiny.
For applicants whose names were absent from the 2002 SIR roll and who have submitted forms this time with parental mapping details, the EC has instructed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to conduct meticulous verification. This step aims to prevent fraudulent inclusions while ensuring legitimate voters are not left out.
In a related development, the Chief Electoral Officer's office has directed District Election Officers (DEOs) of six key districts—Kolkata North, Kolkata South, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, and Hooghly—to submit a list of housing complexes suitable for setting up polling stations. This list must be provided by December 6, as the Commission prepares for future elections with updated and accurate voter lists.
