ECI gives breakup of 91.46 lakhs of ‘logical discrepancy’ cases during SIR in Bengal
Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has furnished a breakup of the 91.46 lakh “logical discrepancy” cases identified in the course of “progeny-mapping” during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal.
Voters identified as “logical discrepancy” cases are those in whose records unusual family-tree data have been detected during progeny mapping.
Although initially, at the end of the enumeration phase, which was the first stage of the three-stage SIR exercise, the ECI had identified 1.36 crore “logical discrepancy” cases, currently the number has been scaled down to 91.46 lakhs after thorough evaluation of the initial list.
These 91.46 lakhs of “logical discrepancy” cases are in addition to 58.20 lakhs of “excluded voters” and 30 lakhs of “unmapped” voters, that is, voters unable to establish any link with the 2002 voters list either through “self-mapping” or through “progeny-mapping”.
Currently, the cases of these “unmapped” voters are being heard by the Commission, and in the next stage, the “logical discrepancy” cases will be heard.
According to sources in the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, of the 91.46 lakhs of identified “logical discrepancy” cases, the maximum have been name mismatches with the 2002 list, the last time when the SIR was conducted in West Bengal. The figure on this count was 51 lakhs.
The second-highest category (24 lakh cases) was related to six or more voters linked to a single father.
The number of voters with age differences of just 15 years or even less than the age of their fathers was 4.75 lakhs. Similarly, the number of voters with age differences of 50 years or above than the age of their father is 8.41 lakhs.
In addition to that, there are three lakh voters whose age difference from their grandfather is 40 years or even less.
Trinamool Congress had claimed that instead of clandestinely leaking information to the media persons about such “logical discrepancy” cases, the Commission should issue a formal release, giving the details of the matter.
The draft voters’ list in West Bengal was published on December 16 last year. The final voters’ list will be published on February 4. Soon after that, the commission will announce the polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled this year.