Kolkata, Dec 2 (IANS) As per the trend of digitisation of the enumeration forms collected by the booth-level officers (BLOs), the Election Commission of India (ECI) has estimated that 43.30 lakh names will be excluded from the draft voters’ list, set to be published on December 16.

However, sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, pointed out that this estimated figure is based on the trend of digitising the collected enumeration forms till Monday evening, and the final number might increase after the digitisation process is completed.

The total number of voters in West Bengal, as per the electoral roll as of October 27, is 7,66,37,529.

The CEO’s office insider said that of the 43.30 lakh names found suitable for exclusion from the voters’ list, the majority are dead voters at around 21.45 lakh. The number of untraceable voters stands at around 5.5 lakh.

The number of shifted voters currently stands at around 15.10 lakh, and the number of bogus or fake voters stands at a little less than one lakh. “The number of untraceable voters might change since some are ‘untraceable’ as yet might be traced in due course,” the CEO’s office sources said.

Till Monday evening, the ECI had identified 2,208 polling booths in West Bengal that do not have a single deceased voter or duplicate voter having names in two places or any voter who has shifted elsewhere.

Notably, at least 2,208 polling booths in West Bengal do not have a single deceased voter, a duplicate voter with names in two places, or any voter who has moved elsewhere.

However, the BJP had expressed doubts over the fact that in so many booths, not a single dead voter or duplicate voter, or deceased voter has been identified. It demanded a review of the enumeration forms collected from these booths.

On Monday, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, requested the ECI to conduct an audit of the entries of the enumeration forms for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state on the three dates of November 26, November 27, and November 28, considering that during the three days, there were a record 1.25 crore enumeration form entries.

–IANS

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