Voter mapping ahead of SIR rollout in Bengal reveals 45% names missing from 2002 Roll

Around 45% of the voters’ names in the present electoral roll were not matching with the 2002 voters’ list when the last SIR was held in West Bengal: Officials

Kolkata: Around 45% of voters listed in West Bengal’s current electoral roll did not appear in the 2002 roll prepared during the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR), officials aware of the matter said, as the election commission began a voter mapping exercise ahead of the 2026 state elections.

The election commission has began a voter mapping exercise ahead of the 2026 state elections. (Representative photo)

The voter mapping exercise is a precursor to the SIR, which is likely to be rolled out in the state soon. “The voter mapping process is still continuing and is likely to be completed soon. But so far, around 45% of the voters’ names in the present electoral roll were not matching with the 2002 voters’ list when the last SIR was held in the state,” a senior poll panel official said.

While East Midnapore, with a 68% match, has the highest number of voters whose names have matched with the 2002 voters’ list, West Burdwan has the lowest match, with just around 40% of names matching the 2002 list.

A few other districts where there is a mismatch of 50% or more include South 24 Parganas (50% match), North 24 Parganas (42% match), and Cooch Behar (46% match).

“The data from a few other districts such as Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, and the flood-hit districts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri are being compiled,” the official said.

The 2002 electoral roll would be taken as the benchmark, Election Commission of India (ECI) officials said, adding that the ECI had already uploaded the 2002 list on the website of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer earlier this year.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) of the poll panel will be visiting households to verify the names of voters. There could be multiple reasons behind this mismatch, such as fresh voters being added every year, dead voters whose names haven’t been deleted, and voters who have shifted to other areas, among others.

“Not a single name of any genuine person would be deleted in the SIR. Even those whose names were not there in the 2002 list need not worry. There are a range of documents which one can produce to include his or her name when BLOs start their house-to-house survey. The SIR process just becomes easier if the names match with the 2002 list,” said an official.

In poll-bound Bihar, where the SIR was rolled out earlier this year, the 2003 electoral roll was taken as the benchmark. The SIR was last rolled out in Bihar in 2003. Officials found that out of 7.89 crore voters in the present-day electoral roll, around 4.96 crore names matched with the 2003 voters’ list.