First phase of SIR flags major inconsistencies in Bengal voter list; EC orders detailed check

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The first phase of SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal has exposed widespread inconsistencies, particularly in identifying new voters based on parentage and family mapping from the 2002 rolls, prompting the Election Commission to order a detailed verification of enumeration forms, an official said on Friday.

The ongoing cross-checking process has uncovered numerous "logical discrepancies" in the voter data, a well-placed source in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer claimed.

"Names of fathers are incorrect or mismatched in 85,01,486 cases, accounting for 11.09 per cent of the total voters," he alleged.

Also, 24,21,133 voters are listed as having more than six children, and inconsistencies have been observed in age differences related to parents, he said.

In 11,95,230 cases, the age gap between a voter and their parents is less than 15 years, while in 8,77,736 cases, it exceeds 50 years, which is considered unrealistic.

Discrepancies also extend to extended family relationships, with 3,29,152 cases showing an age difference of less than 40 years with grandparents, causing confusion over familial links.

"Additionally, 20,74,256 voters over the age of 45 have been incorrectly marked as 'new voters'. Errors have also been detected in gender data, with 13,46,918 entries recorded incorrectly, raising concerns about voter identification accuracy," he elaborated.

The poll body has digitised all application forms and confirmed that affected voters will be called for hearings to verify and correct their records.

"The compiled data has been shared with district election officers and block-level officials across the state to expedite verification and corrections. Ordinary voters will also have the opportunity to make corrections during the 'Claims and Objections' stage," he said, adding that BLOs will pay house-to-house visit for the verification.