The number of uncollected forms identified in West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has surged to 56,37,731, triggering concern within the Election Commission as the state prepares its updated electoral roll. According to figures released on Monday afternoon, the tally of dead voters alone has climbed to 23,98,345, underscoring the scale of discrepancies plaguing the voter list.
The Commission clarified that “uncollected forms” refer to entries that cannot be verified or incorporated into the draft roll under any circumstances. These include voters who have died, gone missing, shifted permanently, possess duplicate registrations, or were already enrolled elsewhere. By definition, such names will not feature in the draft electoral list.
Fresh data released by the Commission paints a revealing picture of the categories contributing to the massive backlog. West Bengal currently has 19,64,629 transferred voters, 10,94,710 missing voters, 1,32,215 duplicate entries, and 47,832 voters classified under ‘others’, which covers technical or miscellaneous issues.
Yet, officials warn the situation may be worse than the numbers suggest. Several districts have still not completed uploading their uncollectable form data, resulting in an incomplete picture of the actual discrepancies. This lapse has drawn the ire of the Special Observer appointed from Delhi, senior IAS officer Subrata Gupta, who expressed marked dissatisfaction over the sluggish performance of multiple Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
According to reports reaching the Commission, some BLOs have visited households three times but still failed to upload the final entries. In some areas, local administration officials allegedly advised BLOs to delay uploads until the last minute— a directive that deeply angered the Special Observer, who demanded to know whose instructions they were following. The Commission reiterated that only rapid and accurate uploads can reveal the true number of deceased or invalid voters in the state.
The Election Commission has taken an increasingly stringent stance in the ongoing revision exercise. After signalling tougher oversight during last Friday’s review meeting, it issued new guidelines on Monday morning. In a significant move, five senior IAS officers — each a Joint Secretary in a Union Ministry — have been appointed as Special Roll Observers for West Bengal’s five administrative divisions.
Operating under Article 324(6) of the Constitution, these observers will function under the direct control of the Central Election Commission. “Their mandate covers the entire revision process, including field verifications, disposal of notices, and the preparation of the final list. Their core responsibility is to ensure that every eligible citizen is included, every ineligible entry is excluded, and every stage of the revision is monitored with uncompromising vigilance,” said an official of the Commission.
Also read: EC appoints 5 more observers as SIR deadline nears in Bengal
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