ECI Flags Polling Booths in West Bengal Lacking Self Voters

The Election Commission of India has identified three polling booths in West Bengal that have no self voters, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. This unusual finding has led to a directive for a comprehensive review of these booths. The situation is particularly alarming as all voters in these locations are classified as progeny voters, meaning their parents' names appear on the 2002 voters' list. The ECI has warned of strict actions against any electoral officers found to be involved in misconduct. Additionally, the number of booths without deceased or duplicate voters has drastically decreased, indicating ongoing scrutiny in the electoral process.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 4, 2025, 12:18 IST

Election Commission's Findings in West Bengal

Kolkata, Dec 4: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has discovered three polling booths in West Bengal where there are no voters classified as 'self'. In the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a 'self' voter is defined as someone whose name appears on the voters' list from the base year of 2002.

According to officials from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in West Bengal, these booths consist entirely of 'progeny' voters, meaning all voters have parents listed on the 2002 voters' list.

The ECI has deemed this situation highly unusual and has mandated a thorough review of these three booths.

The first booth in question is located in Part Number 110 of the Dinhata Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar district, where none of the 782 voters are 'self' voters.

The second booth is Part Number 53 in the Pandua Assembly constituency of Hooghly district, where all 668 voters are classified as 'progeny' voters.

The third booth is Part Number 48 in the Kultali Assembly constituency of South 24 Parganas district, which also has no 'self' voters among its 768 voters.

Under the SIR guidelines, both 'self' and 'progeny' voters are recognized as legitimate voters, and they do not need to provide additional documentation to maintain their names on the voters' list during this revision process.

However, officials from the CEO's office have expressed skepticism about the absence of 'self' voters in these booths.

“This is why the ECI has called for a review of these three polling booths. The commission has also warned that if any misconduct is found involving the booth-level officer or any election registration personnel, strict disciplinary actions will be taken against the responsible electoral officer,” sources from the CEO's office stated.

Additionally, it has been reported that the number of booths in West Bengal identified as lacking any deceased voters, duplicate voters, or voters who have relocated has significantly decreased to just 29 as of Wednesday evening, down from 2,208 reported on Monday evening, which was later revised to 480 on Tuesday evening.