ECI issues fresh instructions on deceased voters list in Bengal SIR

Kolkata, Dec 5 The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday gave fresh instructions to electoral officers at different levels engaged in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal regarding preparation of a separate list of deceased voters in the state.

An insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said the Commission has directed electoral officers to re-check the data of those who have already been identified as deceased voters during the digitisation and mapping of the duly filled enumeration forms with the list for 2002.

The ECI has also specified three sources from which the re-verification of data on deceased voters should be done. The first source is the record of deaths registered with different municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats in the state.

The second source, as specified by the Commission, is the death records available with insurance companies and banks. The third and final source of re-verification is the list of beneficiaries under different social welfare schemes of the state government, especially those related to death benefits.

Till Thursday evening, 98.84 per cent of the duly filled enumeration forms collected from voters had already been digitised. As per the trend emerging from this digitisation, the number of voters in the existing electoral roll found eligible for exclusion till that period is 52,99,663.

According to sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, of the 52,99,663 identified excludable voters till Thursday evening, 23,48,095 are deceased voters.

The total number of voters as per the list on October 27, 2025, is 7,66,37,529. The SIR exercise started on November 4. The draft voters’ list will be published on December 16, while the final voters’ list, after completion of all related processes, will be published on February 14.

The ECI on Friday also released the daily bulletin for Phase II of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, reporting near-complete progress in the distribution and digitisation of Elector-specific enumeration forms (EFs) across 12 States and Union Territories.

The enumeration phase, which began on November 4, will continue until December 11.

According to the bulletin, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Goa have recorded full coverage in the distribution of EFs, with each achieving 100 per cent distribution.

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