BJP Raises Concern Over Birth Certificates: The political atmosphere in West Bengal continues to heat up as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised fresh objections regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists 2025, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reject birth certificates issued after June 24, 2024. The party claims that these documents are being used “fraudulently” to establish voter eligibility in several border districts, particularly those bordering Bihar and Bangladesh.
The BJP’s latest allegation — linking newly issued birth certificates to “possible voter roll manipulation” — adds another layer to the already contentious SIR process. With elections looming, this has triggered a wave of political confrontations and administrative anxieties.
BJP Raises Concern Over Birth Certificates: What Is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a large-scale voter roll verification exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in states including West Bengal. It involves field verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who cross-check voters’ personal and residential details with supporting documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID, and birth certificates.
The 2025 SIR assumes heightened importance because of West Bengal’s politically sensitive environment, where both ruling and opposition parties accuse each other of voter list manipulation.
While the EC has repeatedly assured transparency, the BJP claims that “mass issuance of birth certificates” after June 24 — particularly in border districts like Malda, North 24-Parganas, Nadia, and Murshidabad — could result in inclusion of non-eligible voters.
BJP’s Allegation: Post–June 24 Birth Certificates Under Scanner
In a formal memorandum submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, a BJP delegation led by Sukanta Majumdar, the party’s state president, alleged that district administrative offices and municipal bodies have been issuing thousands of birth certificates in an “unusually short period.”
“We have credible information that several birth certificates were issued post June 24 with fabricated or backdated entries. These documents are now being used to establish voter eligibility. This pattern indicates a coordinated attempt to influence the SIR process,” said Majumdar.
According to the BJP, the alleged irregularities are concentrated in areas close to Bihar’s border districts, where residents from both sides share close socio-economic and linguistic ties. The party urged the Election Commission to verify the authenticity of such documents before approving voter inclusion.
Districts of Concern: Border Belt Under Spotlight
The BJP specifically named several districts — Malda, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, and Nadia — as “high-risk zones” for voter list manipulation.
Party sources claim that in some Bihar–Bengal border blocks, municipal offices have issued more than 10,000 new birth certificates between June and October 2024 — a volume they consider “abnormal.”
In Malda, BJP leaders allege that cross-border migration and weak verification mechanisms have created a “favorable environment for fraudulent inclusion.”
Anupam Hazra, BJP’s national secretary, stated:
“We are not against any genuine citizen being added to the rolls, but the surge in freshly issued certificates raises serious doubts. The EC must coordinate with district magistrates and block development officers to ensure no manipulation occurs.”
Election Commission’s Stand
In response to BJP’s complaints, officials from the Chief Electoral Office maintained that all documents submitted under SIR are being verified through multi-layer scrutiny.
A senior EC officer clarified:
“Every document, including birth certificates, undergoes authentication with the issuing authority. The cut-off date for age verification is already fixed under the electoral guidelines, and any anomaly is cross-checked with municipal and panchayat records.”
The EC has also directed district election officers to report weekly updates on suspected fraudulent cases and to ensure digital record matching using the Civil Registration System (CRS) and UIDAI databases.
Ruling Trinamool Congress Reacts
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) dismissed BJP’s allegations as a “pre-election narrative” designed to discredit the voter roll revision process.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh responded:
“The BJP is trying to politicize an administrative process. Birth certificates are a legitimate proof of age and citizenship under Indian law. If they have evidence of fake certificates, they should produce it before the Election Commission instead of making sweeping accusations.”
He further added that TMC’s government has digitized birth and death records under the e-Pariseva portal, reducing the chance of forgery.
Administrative Verification and Data Cross-Checking
Following the controversy, district magistrates have intensified verification mechanisms. Many districts have started cross-linking local birth certificate data with the State Health Department’s Civil Registration System (CRS) and National Population Register (NPR) to identify duplication or falsification.
An official in Nadia district said:
“We have received directions to review all post-June 24 certificates. Any document lacking matching records in CRS will be flagged for further inquiry.”
Political Implications: Battle for Bengal’s Border Belt
The border districts — particularly Malda, North Dinajpur, and Murshidabad — are electorally significant. These areas have historically witnessed tight contests between the BJP and the TMC, with Muslim and Scheduled Caste populations playing decisive roles.
Political analysts suggest that BJP’s latest move to highlight “fake certificates” is part of its strategy to question the legitimacy of certain voter demographics — especially in areas with cross-border migration history.
Prof. Debabrata Basu, a political scientist from Calcutta University, noted:
“The BJP’s narrative aligns with its larger national discourse around citizenship verification and illegal migration. In Bengal, where the voter base is deeply diverse, such allegations have polarizing potential.”
Historical Context: Citizenship and Electoral Anxiety in Bengal
The tension surrounding birth certificates and voter verification in Bengal cannot be divorced from the broader citizenship debate — one that has intensified since the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam and the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019.
In border-sharing regions, where families have lived across administrative lines for generations, documentation remains inconsistent. This makes them particularly vulnerable during exercises like SIR, which rely heavily on paper evidence.
The Role of BLOs: Ground-Level Pressure and Accountability
At the heart of the SIR process are Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are responsible for verifying every household. Multiple reports indicate that BLOs face immense workload and sometimes political pressure from local leaders.
While BLOs are supposed to maintain neutrality, opposition parties have accused some of being influenced by ruling party operatives.
An anonymous BLO from Malda told reporters:
“We are being asked to verify hundreds of forms daily. If someone produces a recent birth certificate, it’s difficult to verify its origin immediately. The verification process is manual and time-consuming.”
Such operational challenges often create space for errors or exploitation, which parties like BJP are quick to politicize.
BJP’s Memorandum to the ECI
In its memorandum submitted to the Election Commission, BJP urged the following:
- Immediate halt to accepting birth certificates issued after June 24 until authenticity is verified.
- Coordination with Bihar’s state authorities to check for cross-border duplication.
- Deployment of central observers in vulnerable districts.
- Transparency in BLO assignments, including public disclosure of BLO lists.
The party warned that if these demands are ignored, it may escalate the matter to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi.
Counter-Narratives: Ground Realities and Legal Position
Legal experts argue that the BJP’s demand to reject all post–June 24 birth certificates might not hold legal ground. According to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, any individual can request a certificate retroactively if adequate proof exists.
Advocate Sumit Roy, a constitutional lawyer, said:
“The law does not set a cut-off date for issuance. As long as the document is verifiable, it remains valid. The Election Commission cannot reject all certificates issued after a specific date without individual scrutiny.”
Data and Technology Integration: A Double-Edged Sword
With the EC integrating technology into voter verification, birth certificates are now cross-checked through online registries. However, experts warn that digitization gaps, particularly in rural Bengal, could lead to disproportionate exclusion if systemic errors aren’t addressed.
The National Digital Birth and Death Registration System (NDBDRS), recently launched by the Union Health Ministry, aims to centralize records across states. Yet, its coverage in West Bengal remains partial, leaving room for discrepancies that fuel political allegations.
Citizenship, Identity, and the Bengal Voter
Behind the bureaucratic tug-of-war lies a more personal story — the struggle of millions of voters to prove their identity repeatedly. In many rural areas, birth certificates were never issued at the time of birth. Families often apply for delayed certificates during voter or school admissions, creating administrative confusion.
Rina Mandal, a homemaker from Karandighi in North Dinajpur, shared:
“My son’s birth certificate was made last year though he is 18 now. We had no papers earlier. If they reject it, he won’t get a voter ID.”
Such stories underline the human cost of bureaucratic rigidity.
Media and Civil Society Reactions
Several civil society organizations, including Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), have called for transparent verification without disenfranchisement.
An ADR statement noted:
“While preventing fraudulent entries is essential, blanket rejection of new certificates can marginalize legitimate citizens, especially in rural and border areas.”
Possible Outcomes and the Way Forward
The Election Commission is now under pressure to balance vigilance with inclusion. A senior bureaucrat hinted that the EC might soon issue fresh circulars detailing procedures for verifying recently issued certificates.
If implemented carefully, this could ease political tensions while safeguarding citizens’ rights. However, any perception of bias could deepen mistrust in the electoral process ahead of 2025’s state-level political cycle.
Conclusion: Balancing Security and Inclusion in Bengal’s Democracy
The BJP’s insistence on rejecting post–June 24 birth certificates reflects the fragile balance between electoral integrity and citizen inclusion. As Bengal prepares for another politically charged year, the issue has evolved into more than an administrative concern — it is a test of the Election Commission’s neutrality and India’s democratic resilience.
Whether the EC can ensure both transparency and fairness will determine not just the credibility of SIR 2025, but also the confidence of millions of voters who depend on these records to claim their most fundamental democratic right — the right to vote.
🔗 External Reference Links (Credible Sources)
- Election Commission of India (ECI) – https://eci.gov.in
- Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal – https://ceowestbengal.wb.gov.in
- Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 – https://legislative.gov.in
- National Digital Birth & Death Registration Portal – https://crsorgi.gov.in
- Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) – https://adrindia.org
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