West Bengal's Voter List Update: 43.30 Lakh Names Expected to be Excluded

Voter List Exclusions in West Bengal

Kolkata, Dec 2: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has projected that approximately 43.30 lakh names will be removed from the draft voters' list, which is scheduled for publication on December 16. This estimate is based on the ongoing digitisation of enumeration forms collected by booth-level officers (BLOs).

According to officials from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in West Bengal, this figure is preliminary and may rise as the digitisation process progresses. As of October 27, the total number of registered voters in West Bengal stands at 7,66,37,529.

Insiders from the CEO's office indicated that out of the 43.30 lakh names earmarked for removal, around 21.45 lakh are deceased voters. Additionally, approximately 5.5 lakh voters are classified as untraceable.

Furthermore, about 15.10 lakh voters have relocated, while nearly one lakh are identified as bogus or fraudulent. Officials noted that the count of untraceable voters could change as some may eventually be located.

As of Monday evening, the ECI identified 2,208 polling booths in West Bengal that do not have any deceased, duplicate, or relocated voters.

Interestingly, the BJP has raised concerns regarding the absence of deceased or duplicate voters in these booths, calling for a thorough review of the enumeration forms collected.

On Monday, Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, urged the ECI to audit the enumeration entries from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted on November 26, 27, and 28, during which a record 1.25 crore entries were made.