Election Commission Roll : The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been compelled to deploy special roll observers across West Bengal after lakhs of voters allegedly linked themselves to individuals from the 2002 electoral rolls as their “grandparents.” This unusual and erroneous mapping has raised alarm about the integrity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The controversy underscores the challenges of maintaining clean voter lists, the human cost of bureaucratic exercises, and the political stakes of electoral governance in Bengal.
Election Commission Roll : The Incident
Reports revealed that many voters enrolled in the 2025 draft rolls claimed lineage to voters from 2002, but the age differences between supposed “grandparents” and “grandchildren” were implausibly narrow—sometimes only 20–40 years. This anomaly suggested deliberate manipulation, possibly aided by ground‑level officials.
The EC responded by appointing five special observers to monitor the process across Bengal’s divisions, signaling a lack of trust in district‑level staff.
For official references:
Human Cost of Electoral Exercises
The SIR process has imposed significant burdens:
- Marginalized communities, including transgender citizens, reported difficulties in mapping their identities due to mismatched documents.
- Daily wage workers and farmers lost income while standing in queues for verification.
- Block Level Officers (BLOs) faced immense stress, with reports of burnout and even suicides linked to the pressure of the exercise.
For BLO guidelines:
Political Context
The controversy has political undertones:
- Opposition parties accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of manipulating voter rolls with the help of local officials.
- The BJP alleged that agencies were assisting TMC in election‑related work.
- TMC leaders countered that volunteers merely helped villagers fill forms, denying any organized malpractice.
Technology and Transparency Issues
The use of an AI app to identify duplicate voters has raised questions:
- Who developed the app?
- Was there a transparent tender process?
- How secure is the data being processed?
For IT governance:
Border Security and Federal Concerns
Critics questioned why SIR was being conducted in Bengal, Assam, and Kerala but not in other border states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland. They argued that border security is the responsibility of central forces such as the BSF and ITBP, not state‑level voter verification drives.
Government references:
Constitutional and Legal Framework
The Election Commission is a constitutional body under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, mandated to conduct free and fair elections. Erroneous voter roll linkages undermine this mandate and raise questions about the legitimacy of past and future elections.
Relevant government link:
Broader Implications for Democracy
The incident underscores key issues:
- Integrity of electoral rolls is fundamental to democracy.
- Transparency in technology use is essential for public trust.
- Security of election officials must be prioritized to prevent intimidation and manipulation.
Conclusion
The deployment of roll observers in Bengal reflects the seriousness of the anomalies in voter roll mapping. The controversy highlights the need for transparent electoral processes, stronger accountability mechanisms, and humane implementation of verification drives. Democracy thrives not on bureaucratic exercises alone but on the trust of citizens in the fairness of elections.
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