West Bengal's Voter Registration Process: What You Need to Know About the ECI's New Hearings

Election Commission Initiates Voter Hearings in West Bengal

Kolkata: Starting Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will begin issuing notices for hearings regarding claims and objections related to the draft voters’ list in West Bengal. This marks the conclusion of the initial phase of the three-part Special Intensive Exercise (SIR), which commenced on November 4.

The draft voters' list was released on Tuesday. According to officials from the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office, the ECI will initially focus on notifying 'unmapped' voters—those who lack any connection to the 2002 voters’ list, either through 'self-mapping' or 'progeny mapping.'

'Self-mapping voters' are defined as individuals whose names appear in both the current voters' list as of October 2025 and the 2002 list, the last time the ISR was conducted in the state.

Conversely, 'progeny mapping voters' are those whose parents' names are listed in the 2002 records.

Currently, the count of unmapped voters in West Bengal stands at 30,59,273.

'Individuals receiving notices for hearings will have seven days to attend. The notices will specify the dates, times, and locations for these hearings,' revealed a source from the CEO's office.

This figure of 30,59,273 is in addition to the 58,20,899 voters previously excluded from the October 2025 list, which includes deceased individuals, those who have moved, untraceable voters, duplicates, and others deemed ineligible.

Additionally, the ECI has identified over 1.60 crore voters with unusual family-tree data, despite their connections to the 2002 list through either 'self-mapping' or 'progeny mapping.' Many of these individuals will also be called for hearings to clarify the discrepancies.

Voters with peculiar family data include those whose fathers' and mothers' names are identical in the last voters' list, individuals who became fathers at the age of 15 or younger, and those who became grandfathers by the age of 40 or younger.

One notable case involves a voter who allegedly became a father of two sons at just five years old.

The final voters' list for West Bengal is set to be published on February 14 next year, after which the ECI will announce the polling dates for the state's Assembly elections.