Election Commission Addresses Voter Discrepancies in West Bengal

The Election Commission of West Bengal is set to address significant discrepancies in voter registration forms, particularly in border districts. With over 5.8 million names removed from the voter list, the commission is focusing on logical inconsistencies and planning hearings for approximately 3.2 million voters whose names were not included in previous lists. This initiative aims to ensure accurate voter representation ahead of upcoming elections. The hearings will begin on December 27, targeting various categories of discrepancies, including age differences and registration issues. Stay tuned for more updates on this critical electoral process.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 23, 2025, 12:44 IST

Election Commission's Focus on Voter List Discrepancies

The Election Commission (EC) is gearing up to address discrepancies found in voter registration forms during the initial phase of the Special Intensive Review (SIR). The commission is particularly concentrating on the border districts of West Bengal, where numerous logical inconsistencies have been identified. On December 16, the EC released a draft of the voter list, revealing a reduction in the number of voters from 76.6 million to 70.8 million, following the removal of over 5.8 million names.

Categories of Voter Discrepancies Identified

The EC has outlined seven specific categories of discrepancies, including cases where a father has more than six children, inconsistencies in the father's name, and age gaps of less than 15 years between voters and their parents. Other categories include age differences exceeding 50 years between voters and their parents, age gaps of less than 40 years between voters and their grandparents, voters registering after the age of 45, and gender discrepancies.

Statistics on Age Discrepancies

According to the Election Commission, the highest number of cases with less than 15 years age difference between parents is found in South 24 Parganas (139,702), followed by North 24 Parganas (92,951), Nadia (64,114), Murshidabad (63,148), and Malda (44,920). Similarly, for cases where the age difference exceeds 50 years, South 24 Parganas again leads with 109,567 cases, followed by Murshidabad (88,014), North 24 Parganas (77,476), Malda (54,704), and Nadia (49,410). A senior official from the EC indicated that they expect an increase in hearings in districts like South and North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia, and North and South Dinajpur. Therefore, the number of daily hearings in these districts will rise until January 31.

Inclusion of 3.2 Million Voters

Officials from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office in West Bengal announced that approximately 3.2 million voters, whose names were not included in previous voter lists, will be summoned for hearings during the first phase of the SIR. Hearings for this group will commence on December 27, including voters who failed to register their names alongside family members in the 2002 voter list. The officials noted that they have started sending notices to around 1 million voters today, with an additional 2.2 million notices to be dispatched starting Tuesday. During the review, a total of 3,168,424 voters were identified statewide who are not listed in the voter registry.