EC admits 'unintentional error' over Abhishek Banerjee's ghost voters

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has responded to the massive controversy sparked by Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee regarding "ghost voters" in the electoral roll. During a rally in Baruipur on January 2, Banerjee had produced three individuals on stage—Monirul Mollah, Harekrishna Giri, and Maya Das—claiming that the Commission had officially declared them "dead" under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He alleged that this was a deliberate attempt to "steal" votes and claimed at least 24 such cases existed in South Bengal.

Following the high-profile allegation, the Election Commission sought an urgent report from the Block Level Officers (BLO) and Electoral Registration Officers (ERO). The recently submitted report clarifies that the inclusion of these living individuals in the list of deceased voters was an "unintentional mistake" on the part of the ground-level officials. The Commission source confirmed that the error was noted even before the political rally took place, and corrective measures were already in motion.

Specifically addressing the cases of Monirul and Harekrishna, the report states that their names were not originally on the booth's deletion list but appeared as "deleted" on the official website due to a technical or clerical oversight. Upon discovering this discrepancy, the BLO reportedly visited their residences to rectify the records. The Commission official highlighted that Form-6 (application for new enrollment) had been filled out for these individuals well before Abhishek Banerjee showcased them on the Baruipur stage.