Election Commission Identifies Three West Bengal Polling Booths With 100% "Progeny" Voters Requiring Review

The Election Commission of India has discovered three polling booths in West Bengal that lack any "self" voters. In the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a "self" voter is defined as someone whose name appeared on the 2002 voters' list, which serves as the baseline for the ongoing electoral revision process.

Sources from the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office confirm that in these three booths, every single voter falls under the "progeny" category. A voter is classified as "progeny" when their parents' names were present on the 2002 electoral roll rather than their own.

Finding this situation highly unusual, the ECI has mandated a thorough review of all three polling stations.

The first identified booth is Part Number 110 in Dinhata Assembly constituency, Cooch Behar district, where all 782 voters are classified as "progeny" voters.

Similarly, Part Number 53 in Pandua Assembly constituency, Hooghly district, shows all 668 voters falling under the "progeny" classification.

The third location, Part Number 48 in Kultali Assembly constituency, South 24 Parganas district, has 768 voters, none of whom qualify as "self" voters.

According to SIR protocol, both "self" and "progeny" voters—those with either their own or their parents' names on the 2002 electoral roll—are automatically considered legitimate voters. These individuals are not required to provide additional documentation to maintain their voter registration during the current SIR process.

However, CEO office sources revealed that the ECI finds it implausible that not a single "self" voter exists in any particular polling booth.

"This prompted the ECI to order a review of these three polling stations. The commission has warned that any evidence of misconduct by booth-level officers, election registration officers, or assistant election registration officers will result in strict disciplinary action against the responsible electoral officials," added the sources from the CEO's office.

In another development, the number of West Bengal polling booths reported to have no deceased voters, duplicate registrations, or relocated voters has undergone a significant revision. As of Wednesday evening, only 29 such booths remain, dramatically down from 2,208 reported Monday evening, which had already decreased to 480 by Tuesday evening.