‘Factual discrepancy’ voters reduce by over 41 lakh in Bengal SIR process

The number of voters flagged for “factual discrepancies” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal has declined significantly, according to the Election Commission. Officials said the figure has dropped from 1.36 crore to 94.49 lakh, marking a reduction of 41.51 lakh cases so far.

Election Commission sources indicated that the number could fall further once the ongoing hearing process is completed. The discrepancies primarily relate to mismatches in voter names, age details, and family information recorded in the electoral database.

Officials explained that several cases involved failure in name matching, while others showed unusual age gaps between voters and their fathers. In some instances, the age difference was found to be less than 15 years or more than 50 years. Discrepancies were also identified between the ages of voters and their grandfathers.

The Commission had initially estimated 1.67 crore such cases, later revising the figure to 1.36 crore before the latest update. Detailed data shows that around 23 lakh cases involved six voters linked to a single individual, while about 51 lakh cases were related to names not being found in records. Age-related inconsistencies between voters and fathers were reported in over 13 lakh cases combined.

The issue has drawn political scrutiny, with the Trinamool Congress questioning the process and alleging irregularities in the release of the discrepancy list. Meanwhile, the Election Commission is preparing to begin hearings for “progeny mapping” cases, where six or more voters are linked to the same father’s name. About 24 lakh voters fall under this category, and notices for hearings are set to be distributed soon.