New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has provided a detailed breakdown of 91.46 lakh voter records in West Bengal that have been flagged as cases of “logical discrepancy” during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. These discrepancies were identified through progeny mapping, a process that examines family tree linkages within voter records to detect irregular patterns.
Voters placed under the “logical discrepancy” category are those whose records show unusual or inconsistent family relationships. This includes anomalies related to parentage, age gaps, and name mismatches when compared with earlier electoral data. The Commission noted that while an initial review at the end of the enumeration phase had flagged around 1.36 crore such cases, a detailed scrutiny later reduced the figure to 91.46 lakh.
These cases exist in addition to two other categories under review. About 58.20 lakh voters have been listed as “excluded voters,” while nearly 30 lakh have been classified as “unmapped.” Unmapped voters are those who could not establish any connection with the 2002 electoral roll through either self-mapping or progeny mapping. Hearings related to unmapped voters are currently underway, after which the Commission will take up the logical discrepancy cases.
According to officials in the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in West Bengal, the largest share of discrepancies relates to name mismatches with the 2002 voters’ list, which was the last time a similar intensive revision was conducted in the state. This category alone accounts for around 51 lakh cases.
Another major irregularity involves instances where six or more voters are linked to a single father, accounting for nearly 24 lakh records. Age-related inconsistencies also feature prominently. About 4.75 lakh voters were found to have an age difference of 15 years or less compared to their fathers, while 8.41 lakh voters showed an age gap of 50 years or more. Additionally, around three lakh voters were recorded as having an age difference of 40 years or less with their grandfathers.
The issue has drawn political attention, with the Trinamool Congress stating that details of such discrepancies should be formally released rather than informally shared.
The draft electoral roll for West Bengal was published on December 16. The final voters’ list is scheduled for release on February 4, following which the Election Commission is expected to announce polling dates for the state Assembly elections due later this year.
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