Election Watch: Massive Irregularities Suspected in Bengal as 2,200 Booths Show Zero Updates

Suspicions of electoral irregularities have intensified in West Bengal after shocking preliminary data emerged from the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR). According to early inputs, more than 2,200 booths reported no entries of deceased voters, no voter transfers, and no duplicate entries, an anomaly that has raised red flags within the Election Commission. The SSR process, which concludes on 11 December, will be followed by the publication of the draft voter list on 16 December. However, the digitised forms received so far appear unrealistic. Typically, every booth records at least some corrections or updates, but the complete absence of any change across thousands of booths has prompted immediate scrutiny. Sources suggest that the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has directed district election officers to re-examine the data thoroughly, questioning how such uniformity could exist unless there were oversight issues or deliberate lapses by field officers. Adding to the concern, over 5,600 additional booths have reported fewer than 10 entries relating to deceased voters, transfers, or duplicate voters. A significant portion of these booths show only one or two corrections — numbers far below expected norms for a state with such a large and dynamic electorate. The Election Commission is now expected to intensify verification before finalising the voter list.