Kolkata, 4 December (H.S.):

During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Election Commission has found three booths where there is not a single self voter. According to SIR rules, a voter is considered self if their name appears on the 2002 voter list. If their parents' names appear on the 2002 voter list, such a voter is considered progeny.

According to SIR rules, voters whose names or their parents' names appear on the 2002 voter list are considered valid voters and do not require any documents. However, the Commission found it inconsistent that an entire booth did not have a single self voter.

For this reason, the Commission has ordered a re-inspection of all three booths. According to sources in the Chief Electoral Officer's office, if the investigation reveals any negligence or irregularities on the part of the booth-level officer, election registration officer, or assistant registration officer, strict action will be taken against them.

Meanwhile, other information has emerged that the number of booths in the state where no dead, duplicate, or transferred voters were found has suddenly changed drastically, now down to just 29. The number was reported at 2,208 on Monday evening, which dropped to 480 on Tuesday evening, and further dropped to 29 on Wednesday evening.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey