SIR exercise uncovers widespread errors in West Bengal voter lists

The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has revealed large-scale inconsistencies in voter data, prompting the Election Commission of India to order detailed verification of enumeration forms across the state, officials said on Friday.

The discrepancies emerged during the cross-checking of voter information submitted as part of the revision exercise, which aims to update the rolls by mapping voters to family lineage using records from the 2002 electoral roll. Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) described the findings as “logical discrepancies” that require immediate correction to ensure the integrity of the electoral database.

According to officials, errors in parental details were among the most common issues detected. In as many as 85,01,486 cases, accounting for 11.09 percent of the total electorate, the names of fathers were found to be incorrect or mismatched with existing records. The verification process also flagged 24,21,133 voters as belonging to families with more than six children, a figure officials said appeared statistically improbable.

Age-related inconsistencies formed another major category of anomalies. In 11,95,230 cases, the age difference between voters and their parents was found to be less than 15 years , while in 8,77,736 cases the gap exceeded 50 years , both of which are considered unrealistic. Discrepancies were also observed in extended family mapping, with 3,29,152 entries showing an age gap of less than 40 years between voters and their grandparents , leading to confusion in establishing family links.

The exercise further revealed that 20,74,256 voters above the age of 45 had been incorrectly classified as ‘new voters’ , despite being eligible for inclusion in earlier electoral rolls. In addition, gender-related errors were detected in 13,46,918 entries, raising concerns over voter identification accuracy.

Election officials said that all enumeration forms have now been digitised and shared with district election officers and block-level officials to accelerate verification and correction. Voters whose records show discrepancies will be called for hearings to verify their details before the finalisation of the rolls.

The Election Commission has also assured that ordinary voters will have the opportunity to correct errors during the ‘Claims and Objections’ stage following the publication of the draft electoral roll. Booth Level Officers will conduct house-to-house visits to authenticate voter information and assist electors in rectifying inaccuracies.

The SIR exercise, the first comprehensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal in over two decades, is being closely monitored amid heightened political and administrative scrutiny, as authorities work to ensure an accurate and credible voter list ahead of future elections.