CEC Directs Strict Scrutiny of Bengal Electoral Rolls : No foreigners should be part of Bengal voter list, no Indians should be omitted:

No foreigners should be part of Bengal voter list, no Indians should be omitted: CEC's clear message to state poll officers

PTI, KOLKATA, 13 FEB 2026: Just a day before the hearing process for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll of the state was scheduled to conclude, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Friday gave a clear message that no foreigners (non-Indians) should be part of the Bengal electoral list while names of no Indians should be omitted from the final electoral rolls in the state.

The CEC said this during a virtual high-level meeting which was held on Friday to discuss the progress of the SIR process in the state. Kumar sent out his clear message during his meeting with West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal, all Roll Observers, top officials of CEO's office and all the DEOs.

The virtual meeting emphasized verification and thorough scrutiny of the documents, according to sources. During the meeting, the CEC stressed scrutinising, verification and re-verification of the submitted documents, if necessary. "There should be no mistakes in the roll," Kumar reportedly said.

Meanwhile, a row has erupted in West Bengal ahead of the closure of the SIR exercise, following reports that unauthorised forms are being circulated to include "unmapped voters" who failed to submit required documents during enumeration.

Alleged distribution of such forms in parts of Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas just days before the end of the hearing process has prompted the Election Commission to seek reports from district authorities, even as the chief electoral officer asserted that no such form was issued by the poll panel.

The hearing process under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, after which no fresh applications for inclusion in the voter list will be entertained.

State's CEO said: "The commission has not issued any such form. We have sought reports from the district election officers (DEOs)."

A section of booth-level officers (BLOs) claimed that the unauthorised form requires so-called "unmapped voters" to submit a declaration stating that neither they nor any member of their family possesses a 2002 linkage document or any of the 13 documents prescribed by the EC, but that they have been residing in the area for a long time.

The form also reportedly includes a provision for certification by at least five valid voters of the booth concerned, who must provide their EPIC numbers and signatures confirming that they know the applicant.

The number of "unmapped voters" in the state currently stands at around 32 lakh, the official said.

Questions have been raised over how such voters can be included in the final list at the last moment without documentary proof, solely on the basis of certification by five individuals.

When the matter was brought to Agarwal's notice, he clarified that the commission had taken no such decision. Sources in the poll body said information about the distribution of such forms had been received from Jadavpur and Hariharpara. BLOs in those areas have alleged that the forms were provided by the electoral registration officers (EROs).

Meanwhile, roll observers at Magrahat in South 24 Parganas district were surprised while verifying enumeration forms, the official said.