Nearly 5.7 Million Excluded From SIR In Bengal; ‘Deathless Booths’ Down From 2,208 To Just 2
According to ABP Ananda sources, so far 56,37,731 names have been identified for the list of excluded people. The number of deceased persons stands at 23,98,345
The work of revising the voter list is underway in a war-like manner, with the Election Commission set to publish the draft list of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on December 16. Amid widespread confusion over whose names will be included and excluded, officials have said the exercise is aimed at ensuring no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person remains on the rolls. The stated objective of the SIR process is to facilitate fair, fraud-free elections, and the drive is currently being carried out across the state at full intensity, even as political tensions run parallel.
According to ABP Ananda sources, so far 56,37,731 names have been identified for the list of excluded people. The number of deceased persons stands at 23,98,345. Those who have shifted are reported to be more than 19 lakh, while more than 10 lakh have been marked as untraceable. Another 46,832 fall under other categories. In total, the number stands at around 97 lakh and is expected to rise further.
‘Deathless Booths’ Shrink from 2,208 to Just Two
Earlier reports suggested that there were no “dead” voters in more than 2,000 booths in the state. The Election Commission had informed that no dead, transferred or duplicate voters were found in 2,208 polling stations, leading to the return of all filled enumeration forms. After this information surfaced, the Election Commission sought reports, following which the number of such booths steadily declined, from 2,208 to 480, then 29, then 7, and now only 2.
At present, only two polling booths in Howrah and Paschim Medinipur reportedly have no dead, transferred or duplicate voters. In effect, the process of correcting errors, which the Election Commission has been repeatedly referring to in recent days, is ongoing.
Political Sparring Intensifies Over Booth Data
As soon as the issue of there being no “uncollectible” forms in 2,208 booths came to light, BJP leaders launched sharp attacks on the ruling party. Trinamool Congress leaders hit back.
BJP MP Soumitra Khan said, "I will say only one thing, if someone does not want to die, if they want to live their whole life, then come to West Bengal. You will definitely live. There have been no deaths in over 2000 booths, no one has gone anywhere else, this is West Bengal. It is a strange and haunted place. And the district administration is a ghost."
BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar said, "This is the magic of our PC government. Our PC government...that is, Mamata Banerjee 's government. No one dies in those areas. I would like to tell all the people of West Bengal to register their names in the voter list in those areas, in their own districts, at the booths where no one died. So that no one dies. If you go there, you will attain immortality."
Responding on behalf of the Trinamool Congress, Firhad Hakim said, "These are their excuses. They know they will lose there...they will lose everywhere in Bengal. They are making excuses with these."
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