Kolkata, 08 December (H.S.) : A polling booth in Chandrakona under East Medinipur district has drawn administrative attention after reports emerged that not a single deceased voter was found on its electoral roll. The development comes at a time when most enumeration forms under the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) have already been digitised and BLOs are conducting door-to-door verification.

According to district administration sources, the matter has sparked active discussion in official circles. The Block Development Officer has already visited the location to review the situation. As per available data, Booth 148 of Ward 7 has a total of 517 voters, of whom 513 enumeration forms have been digitised, while four voters have permanently shifted residence.

Bikranta Laha, the Booth Level Officer overseeing Booth 148, stated that he has been performing this duty since 2012, and he ensures that the names of deceased voters are removed from the list within 15 days of receiving their death certificates. He added that even before the commencement of the SIR process, the names of two deceased voters were deleted. He assured that once the municipality’s death list is matched with the voter roll, the situation will be fully clarified and there is no cause for concern.

Chandrakona has a total of 12 wards and 21 booths. Across 20 booths, the number of deceased voters recorded is 249, while Booth 148 is the only one showing a count of zero. This discrepancy has been highlighted in the assembly-based Election Commission report, prompting heightened administrative monitoring.

In Gopalpur village under this booth area, a resident named Uttam Hati had passed away nearly a year and a half ago. His wife Bandana Hati confirmed that the BLO had visited their home before the SIR exercise began and completed the required formalities to delete her husband’s name from the electoral roll.

TMC’s Booth Level Agent Kanchar Asiar said all deceased voter names were removed ahead of the SIR process, which is why the booth now shows a zero count. BJP’s BLA Shirdendu Khan also appreciated the BLO’s diligence, saying the voter list has been regularly updated. CPM’s BLA Panchu Laha echoed the same view, noting that corrections were made periodically.

Chandrakona-II BDO Utpal Paik stated that Booth 148 recorded no deceased voters because the BLO consistently updated the list. However, he added that a detailed survey of the booth area is still ongoing to ensure complete accuracy.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh