The Election Commission of India (EC) has initiated a crucial process to address the status of approximately 32 lakh voters across West Bengal. These individuals were not found to be linked to the last Summary Revision (SIR) electoral roll of any state or union territory, including Bengal's own 2002 SIR roll. The EC will now call each of these unmapped citizens for a hearing to determine their eligibility for inclusion in the final voters' list.
Hearing Process and Official Statements
Official notices will be dispatched starting Wednesday, with the affected voters expected to receive their hearing calls within a week. The identification of these unmapped names was made possible after Booth Level Officers (BLOs) completed uploading the data from the SIR enumeration forms. The names appeared on the draft SIR roll published on Tuesday.
The commission will listen to the reasons behind each voter's un-mapped status before making a final decision. The electoral officials will then choose to either retain or omit these names from the conclusive SIR list, which is scheduled for publication on February 14, 2026.
Manoj Agarwal, the Chief Electoral Officer for Bengal, clarified the procedure. He stated that all unmapped voters would be summoned for a hearing. During these sessions, they will be required to present any one of the officially notified documents accepted by the Election Commission to establish their identity and residence.
Constituency-Wise Breakdown of Unmapped Voters
The scale of the exercise is significant, with major concentrations in Kolkata and its surrounding districts. In Kolkata alone, a total of 2,43,762 unmapped voters have been registered across 11 key assembly constituencies.
The Kolkata Port constituency leads with the highest count at 29,248, followed closely by Rashbehari with 26,437 and Bhowanipore with 24,737 unmapped voters. In north Kolkata areas—spanning Maniktala, Shyampukur, Jorasanko, Beleghata, Entally, and Chowringhee—the numbers range from 24,288 to 14,285.
The situation in constituencies under the South and North 24 Parganas districts is equally substantial:
- Bidhannagar: 36,089 (Highest)
- Kasba: 34,209
- Dum Dum: 34,027
- Dum Dum North: 31,313
- Jadavpur: 30,358
- Rajarhat-New Town: 29,746
- Tollygunge: 28,613
- Behala West: 27,111
- Behala East: 26,194
- Ballygunge: 24,617
- Metiabruz: 18,985 (Lowest)
On-Ground Insights from Booth Level Officers
BLOs working in the field provided practical insights into the situation. A BLO from south Kolkata mentioned having around 55 unmapped voters in their assigned area. "Many of them were minors back in 2002," the officer noted. "However, they were not even mapped with their parents' records. They will now need to explain the reason for this discrepancy."
Another officer from north Kolkata highlighted a different scenario. In their area, out of 750 electors, 150 names were deleted from the draft list. From the remaining 600 voters, approximately 50 were categorized as unmapped and will be part of the hearing process.
Next Steps and Final Roll Publication
The hearing process will be conducted by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO). The physical notice, which will detail the specific date, time, and venue for the hearing, will be handed over by a BLO to the voter's address as mentioned in the original enumeration forms.
This extensive verification drive underscores the EC's commitment to ensuring an accurate and clean electoral roll for West Bengal. The outcome of these hearings will directly shape the final SIR list, a critical document for the democratic process in the state. All eyes are now on the February 14, 2026, deadline for the publication of the conclusive voters' list.
