EC flags parental data mismatches, orders progeny mapping in booths
Kolkata: The Election Commission (EC) has directed district election officers (DEOs) and electoral registration officers (EROs) to carry out progeny mapping at all polling booths after detecting mismatches in parental details of voters listed in the 2025 rolls but absent from the 2002 rolls.
According to poll panel sources, 30 parts across 30 Assembly constituencies have so far shown discrepancies. These involve voters who do not appear in the 2002 rolls but have linked themselves to voters from that roll as parents—links that contradict the parental names recorded in the 2025 entries.
South 24-Parganas has the highest concentration of such cases. In Sandeshkhali’s part 168, 1,267 of 1,447 electors fall into this category. In Joynagar’s part 6, the number is 1,199 of 1,278, and in Kultali’s part 85, 1,002 of 1,154 voters reflect similar irregularities.
Elsewhere, 705 of 779 voters at a booth in Hingalganj (North 24 Parganas) and 977 of 1,119 voters at a booth in Hemtabad (North Dinajpur) showed contradictory parental data. Similar cases have surfaced in Dhupguri, Dabgram–Phulbari, Dinhata, Murarai, Habibpur and other constituencies.
An Election Commission official said some discrepancies may be accidental, while others appear deliberate: “Some voters may have mistakenly written incorrect parental names, but others have done so to avoid scrutiny during verification. BLOs will now visit affected households and submit reports to AEROs or EROs.”
Special roll observer Subrata Gupta, who met DEOs, EROs and election officials in East Burdwan on Wednesday, instructed BLOs, supervisors and EROs to conduct fresh household visits and system checks until the draft electoral rolls are published on “ December 16.
Gupta said lists of dead, untraceable, bogus and shifted voters will be made available at booth and ERO offices on the day of publication and shared with political parties for feedback. An official in the CEO office said there would be ample opportunity for hearings and physical verification before finalising the rolls.
Pre-special intensive revision (SIR) mapping indicates that 2.4 crore voters are common to both the 2002 and 2025 rolls. Officials estimate that around 2 crore progeny voters will be able to establish legitimate links to 2002 entries through their parents.
More than 98.29 per cent of enumeration forms—7,53,28,211 in total—have been digitised. There are currently 29 booths with no “uncollectable” forms. On Monday, 2,208 booths recorded 100 per cent distribution, collection and digitisation of SIR forms, after which the CEO office sought signed reports from EROs, countersigned by DEOs, by 10 am on Tuesday.
