Kolkata, 3 December (H.S.):
Fresh controversy has erupted over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal after the number of booths marked as having “uncollectable forms” dropped drastically within just 24 hours. The Election Commission (EC) had initially claimed that 2,208 polling stations had no deceased, duplicate or shifted voters—an assertion that drew widespread disbelief. By Tuesday, the figure was revised down sharply to just 480, prompting political backlash and allegations of bias.
The Commission’s earlier claim raised immediate questions as the last SIR was conducted in 2002. Opposition parties argued that it was impossible for no deaths, relocations or duplicates to have occurred in any of those booths between 2002 and 2025. Soon after EC released the data earlier this week, the BJP and several other parties publicly questioned the credibility of the numbers.
Following the Commission’s latest update, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) launched a strong attack, calling the situation “unbelievable.” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh criticised the EC sharply, saying, “If this is not a joke, what is? One day it's 2,000, the next day it's 400—what exactly is the Election Commission doing? At this rate, the EC should put up a sign declaring itself a branch office of the BJP.”
On Monday, a report from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office had stated that at 2,208 booths, not a single voter had died, gone missing, or shifted residence in the past year. It also reported that around 5,800 booths had between one and ten “uncollectable” forms. Even at that time, officials within the Commission reportedly viewed the figures as “questionable.”
Ghosh alleged that from the very beginning of the SIR process, the Commission has been taking “inconsistent and rushed decisions.” He added, “Our stand is clear—we will not allow any fake voter to remain on the rolls, but we also won’t tolerate any attempt to remove genuine voters. The EC is repeatedly giving wrong figures and making flawed plans to benefit the BJP politically.”
The EC has sought reports from district authorities to explain the sudden and dramatic changes in booth classifications. The SIR process is currently under intense scrutiny from all major political parties.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
