‘Uncollectable’ forms of ineligible voters in West Bengal crosses 57.5 lakhs, dead voters over 24 lakhs

A day before the counting phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision is scheduled to end tomorrow, December 11, 2025, the number of ‘uncollected’ counting forms of dead, duplicate, absentee and shifted voters has risen to over 57.5 lakh in West Bengal, according to sources in the office of Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal.

Based on data surrounding uncollected census forms in the state, it has been determined that more than 24 lakh voters of them have died as of Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Wednesday met the Special Registration Observers (SROs) recently appointed by the Election Commission in West Bengal and instructed them to thoroughly scrutinize the entries before the release of the draft electoral roll, as a final push before the counting phase ends tomorrow. This includes instructions for election officials and SROs to check new voters who match themselves with voters on the 2002 list and to examine the age difference between two voters who claim to be related as parents and children.

The Commission on Monday, December 8, 2025, appointed five senior IAS officers, in addition to retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta, as SROs to monitor the ongoing SIR in different parts of West Bengal and “to ensure that no eligible person remains unregistered and no ineligible voter is included in the electoral roll.”

The draft voter rolls are planned to be made public on December 16.