Over 70 lakh voters set to be erased from Bengal rolls

More than 70 lakh voters will be removed from electoral rolls, as an additional around five lakh names have been rejected till date while another five lakh remained absent from hearing in West Bengal. The final SIR rolls are scheduled to be published on February 28. In the draft roll publication, 58 lakh names were deleted.

Meanwhile, altogether 55 lakh names are pending for verification at various levels, including 30 lakh names sent by ECI for reverification due to document-related anomalies, two days ahead of the AERO verification deadline of February 21.

Altogether 30 lakh names have been sent for re-verification by ECI for being illegible or having unauthorised documents. In many cases, documents have not been uploaded. Around 20 lakh cases are pending for verification with AEROs while 4.66 lakh more cases are still pending with DEOs. Alipurduar district has already completed the disposal.


"If the verification and disposal are not completed by AEROs by February 21, we may seek extension of date from ECI," West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal told ET.

With 4,44,970 ineligible names getting rejected and around five lakh already absent from hearing, the total number of deleted voters till date stand at over 68 lakh. After ECInet closed, documents of 1.14 lakh voters could not be uploaded. In the draft list, 58 lakh names were deleted, a top EC official said.

ECI has identified 1.14 lakh voters in Bengal till February 14 who appeared for hearing on the last day on February 14 and whose data could not be uploaded, even as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that documents of more than one lakh voters could not be uploaded.

The WB-CEO has asked DEOs to scrutinise the authentic documents. The CEO office will issue showcause notice to EROs and AEROs for not uploading documents within the specified time, who have crossed the February 14 midnight deadline. The West Bengal CEO said the EROnet cannot be opened after the designated date.