CEC Gyanesh Kumar issues stern warning to Bengal poll officials over electoral roll errors

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has directed that all records related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal be preserved for five years , warning of strict action against officials responsible for errors or deliberate lapses.

Addressing district magistrates (DMs), electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant EROs during a virtual review meeting, Kumar said all decisions taken during the SIR exercise would remain stored in the Election Commission’s database and could be scrutinised even years later. He cautioned that if any foreign national’s name is found on voter lists in the future, the concerned officer would be held accountable.

The CEC also pulled up officials for uploading questionable documents such as newspaper clippings, blank pages and unclear images, and sought explanations on how such material was verified.

District magistrates have been asked to personally ensure that only documents approved by the Election Commission and the Supreme Court are accepted. Verification must be completed by 5 pm on February 16 , after which the IT team will audit the database. Any unacceptable document found will make the concerned DM personally responsible.

Observers have been instructed to report irregularities by EROs, AEROs and district election officers, while Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal has been asked to flag cases involving invalid or unclear documentation. Sources said DMs from several districts, including Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur, were reprimanded for lapses.

While the directive was issued during a Bengal review meeting, Election Commission officials indicated that similar record-preservation and accountability norms are expected to be followed for SIR exercises in other states as well. The SIR of electoral rolls is currently in progress in West Bengal and is being implemented in phases across 12 states and Union Territories as part of a nationwide update exercise. Of these, Bihar is the only state where the SIR process has been completed so far , with final electoral rolls already published. The exercise remains underway in the remaining states and UTs, where authorities are working to delete ineligible entries, include newly eligible voters and improve the accuracy of voter lists ahead of forthcoming elections.