Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Dec 21: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has identified around 1.4 crore doubtful cases in West Bengal’s draft voters’ list, published on December 16, and will seek written explanations from booth-level officers (BLOs) involved in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Officials from the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office said BLOs will have to justify why certain names were recommended for inclusion in the draft list and later in the final voters’ list, scheduled for publication on February 14, 2026. The ECI will use these explanations to determine which cases require hearings on claims and objections, which are expected to begin by December 27.

The flagged cases fall into four categories:
1. Progeny mapping cases: Voters aged 45 or above whose names were missing in the 2002 voters’ list, despite being eligible then, and now included through progeny mapping.
2. Early parenthood anomalies: Instances of voters reportedly becoming fathers at unusually young ages, including cases as extreme as five years old.
3. Early grandparenthood: Cases of voters reportedly becoming grandfathers at or before the age of 40.
4. Parental name duplications: Voters whose father and mother names appear identical in the records.

The CEO’s office noted that these anomalies will be carefully examined to ensure the integrity of the electoral roll. Following the publication of the final voters’ list, the ECI is expected to announce dates for the next West Bengal Assembly elections.