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Bengal Voter List Scandal: Why 1.25 Crore Entries in 3 Days Raises Alarm

The Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, has raised serious concerns about the state's voter list revision. He submitted a formal complaint demanding an audit of a massive 1.25 crore entries made in just three days. Adhikari alleges the involvement of political strategist Prashant Kishor's I-PAC in the data-entry process. He further claims this has led to the inclusion of illegal immigrants and deceased persons in the electoral rolls.

Key Points: Suvendu Adhikari Demands Audit of Bengal SIR Voter Entries

  • Adhikari demands audit by central observers using modern technology
  • Alleges I-PAC members involved in data-entry for voter list
  • Claims names of illegal infiltrators and deceased voters were added
  • Says land revenue officers were wrongly appointed as EROs
2 min read

Bengal SIR: LoP Suvendu Adhikari demands audit of 1.25 crore enumeration entries made in three days

BJP's Suvendu Adhikari demands ECI audit of 1.25 crore voter entries made in 3 days during Bengal's SIR, alleging I-PAC involvement and illegal inclusions.

"This is a scam and should be investigated by the commission. - Suvendu Adhikari"

Kolkata, Dec 1

The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday, called for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct an audit of the approximately 1.25 crore entries in the enumeration forms made during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state on the three dates -- November 26, November 27, and November 28.

A BJP delegation led by Adhikari went to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, and submitted a complaint, where one of the demands was an audit of the enumeration forms.

“We have placed a demand for the audit of the entries for the three days by the team of central observers who have been specially deputed by the ECI for West Bengal to review the SIR process. The audit should be done using sophisticated modern technology. During the three days, there were a record 1.25 crore enumeration form entries. This is a scam and should be investigated by the commission,” Adhikari told media persons after submitting the deputation.

He also claimed that some electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), and members of the vote-strategist Prashant Kishor-founded Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), were involved in this scam.

I-PAC had been strategising the Trinamool Congress' vote and campaign strategies since the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

Adhikari alleged that in several cases, the land revenue officers had been made EROs in the districts, in violation of the ECI-mandated guidelines, which allow only officers in sub-divisional officers or equivalent ranks to be appointed as EROs.

“Often, the I-PAC is being engaged in data-entry work. In this process, names of several illegal Bangladesh infiltrators and deceased voters have been included in the voters’ list,” Adhikari alleged.

After the BJP delegation reached the CEO’s office in central Kolkata in the afternoon, the members of BLO Oikya Mancha (BLO Unity Forum), an association of Trinamool Congress-affiliated association of BLOs, started protesting in front of that office.

A huge police contingent that was present there prevented the escalation of tension.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
While an audit is a fair demand, I hope this doesn't become a political blame game. The focus should be on ensuring a clean electoral roll for Bengal. If I-PAC is involved in data entry, that's a clear conflict of interest. ECI needs to step in and clarify the rules.
R
Rahul R
Allegations of including "illegal infiltrators" is a very sensitive and serious charge. This undermines the faith of genuine citizens. A transparent audit by central observers is the only way forward. We cannot have doubts about our fundamental democratic process.
A
Ananya R
The numbers do seem suspiciously high. But let's wait for the ECI's response. Both sides are quick to throw allegations. As a citizen, I just want a fair list so my vote has value. Hope the police presence prevented any untoward incident.
M
Michael C
Following this from outside India. The scale of the claimed entries is staggering. If true, it's a massive procedural failure. Independent audit using tech is a must. The involvement of a political strategist's team in official data work is highly questionable anywhere in the world.
K
Kavya N
Why are land revenue officers being made EROs if it's against ECI guidelines? This is the root of the problem. First, fix the appointment process. Audit is needed, but so is accountability for those who violated the rules in the first place.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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