Amidst concerns around voter discrepancies, EC publishes ‘revised’ electoral roll for Bengal’s bypoll-bound Kaliganj 

Final electoral list for Kaliganj Assembly Constituency in West Bengal sees correction and decrease of over 2,000 voters.

The final electoral list of the Kaliganj Assembly Constituency in West Bengal’s Nadia district features a correction and net decrease of over 2,000 voters following a special summary revision by the Electoral Registration Officer, ahead of byelections in the constituency.

A special summary revision was conducted by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) after an integrated draft electoral roll was published on April 8. The period between April 8 and April 24 was designated for filing claims and objections.

The final electoral list featuring a total of 2,52,670 electors was published on May 5. It recorded a net decrease of 2,208 electors from the initial list of 2,54,878 voters.

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This purportedly follows the deletion of names, recording changes in electors’ residence, inclusion of new and overseas voters, correction of particulars, replacement of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), and marking of persons with disabilities during the special summary revision.

The correction of over 2,000 names assumes significance in the wake of the State ruling party’s concerns around duplicate EPIC numbers earlier this year, and allegations of several voters in West Bengal sharing the same EPIC number with electors from other States.

At a party meeting in February this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the electoral rolls in West Bengal feature a large number of “fake voters” from other States like Gujarat and Haryana, and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of enabling such discrepancies.