Kolkata, Dec 3 (IANS) Within just 24 hours, the number of booths in West Bengal identified as not having a single deceased voter or duplicate voter having names in two places or any voter who has shifted elsewhere has drastically changed and reduced.

On Monday, ECI had identified 2,208 polling booths in West Bengal that do not have a single deceased voter or duplicate voter, or shifted voter.

Sensing absurdity in this phenomenon, the commission sought reports on the matter from the district magistrates (also the district electoral officers) concerned.

Within 24 hours, the district magistrates submitted fresh reports to the commission on Tuesday, where the new number of electoral booths not having a single deceased voter or duplicate voter, or shifted voter has come down to 480.

On Monday, when the figure surfaced that 2,208 polling booths in West Bengal did not have a single deceased voter or duplicate voter, or shifted voter, the BJP raised objections about the absurdity of the figure and demanded a proper review of the matter.

Now on Tuesday, with the figure declining to just 480, the state BJP leaders claimed that another round of review of these 480 polling booths will result in further decline in the number.

On Monday, when the figure surfaced that 2,208 polling booths in West Bengal did not have a single deceased voter or duplicate voter, or shifted voter, it was noticed that the maximum number of such booths were in South 24 Parganas district at 760, followed by Purulia in the distant second position at 228.

Minority-dominated Murshidabad and Malda districts are in the third and fourth positions on this count, with their numbers standing at 226 and 216, respectively.

On Monday, ECI also notified 582 polling booths in the state, where there had been only one such case of a deceased or duplicate, or a shifted voter. For 420 booths, there had been just two such cases.

–IANS

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