Bengal SIR: Enumeration done, ECI doubtful over high voter number detected through progeny-mapping
Kolkata, Dec 12
With the enumeration phase in the three-stage Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal completed, a remarkably high number of existing voters identified through progeny-mapping has kept the Election Commission of India (ECI) sceptical.
As per the figures available from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), going by the trend of the digitisation of the duly filled enumeration forms collected by the booth-level officers (BLOs) from the voters, the total number of existing voters identified through progeny-mapping stands 3,84,85,166.
On the other hand, following the same digitisation trends, the number of existing voters identified through self-mapping is much lower at 2,94,52,893.
Self-mapping voters are those who have names both in the current voters’ list as of October 27, 2025, as well as in the voters’ list in 2002, the last time when the SIR was conducted in West Bengal.
On the other hand, progeny-mapping voters are those who do not have their own names but their parents’ names in the voters’ list for 2002.
The ECI, through the CEO’s office, has already directed the electoral officers in West Bengal engaged in the SIR exercise to recheck the details of the voters identified through progeny-mapping before including their names in the draft voters’ list, which will be published on December 16.
The ECI has directed the special roll observers appointed by it to review the ongoing SIR exercise to supervise the process of rechecking the date for the voters identified through progeny-mapping.
Sources in the CEO’s office said that during the rechecking of the data for such voters, the electoral officers have been advised to be especially careful about those voters whose age difference with their parents is doubtfully low.
At the same time, the CEO’s office sources said that the Electoral Officers, especially the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and the Additional Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), need to be careful in checking whether photos printed in the enumeration forms are matching with those of the new photos provided by voters with the duly-filled enumeration forms.
The final voters' list in West Bengal will be published on February 14, 2026.
Soon after that, the ECI is expected to announce polling dates for the Assembly elections in the state.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Nearly 3.85 crore voters identified because their parents were on the 2002 list? That seems incredibly high. Are we sure the booth-level officers did their job correctly? There must be many duplicates or errors. The rechecking is absolutely necessary for free and fair elections.
As a citizen, I appreciate the transparency in the process. Publishing the draft list and then the final list gives people time to check and raise objections. Hope the political parties also cooperate and don't try to manipulate the list for their benefit.
While the scrutiny is good, I hope it doesn't lead to genuine voters, especially young people and those who've moved, being left out. The process should be rigorous but also fair and inclusive. The focus on photo matching is a smart move to prevent impersonation.
The difference is staggering! Self-mapping is only 2.94 crore. Where did these extra ~90 lakh voters from progeny-mapping come from? This reeks of potential voter list inflation. The ECI must get to the bottom of this. Our democracy depends on it.
Respectfully, I think the ECI is right to be doubtful, but the entire SIR process seems overly complex. Can't we have a simpler, tech-driven national voter registration system that updates in real-time? Relying on 23-year-old lists (2002) feels archaic. Just a thought for improvement.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.