Discrepancies, not so logical, dog SIR, voters cry harassment
Times of India | 28 December 2025
Kolkata: Even though the draft SIR roll has no mismatch, details of many voters uploaded in EC's databse reportedly have discrepancies. After identifying the mismatch between the draft SIR list and the list in the system, the EC instructed BLOs to make door-to-door visits again for documents from electors for rectification of the errors.
Several BLOs, who already faced ill-treatment at some households, are now scared of backlash from voters if they knock on their doors again.
The mismatch caused by "technical errors" and spotted in the EC's system ranges from misspelling of voters' names, age and gender mismatches, and wrong father's name. In some cases, it was found in the system that the space for the name or guardian's name had been left blank, despite the fact that all these details were uploaded by BLOs during enumeration. The EC has marked all these voters in the category of ‘logical discrepancies', which calls for fresh uploading of documents for rectifications.
"We are at the receiving end of public ire even though the errors were not made by us," rued a BLO in Tollygunge who was asked to rectify 15 discrepancies on Wednesday night. "These voters already found their names with correct details in the draft roll. So, they are getting agitated when asked to submit the same documents again," said the BLO.
Another BLO rued that on being told about the mismatch of his name in the EC system, an elector threatened to file a case against him in court. "It is difficult to persuade the person to submit his documents again so that I can correct his name in the system through BLO App. I can understand the reason behind the anguish," said the BLO, who has over 200 voters with such discrepancies.
"I have 20 voters whose names or guardian's names are showing errors in the system. One of my voters is 44, but the system shows her age as 88. I will need her documents again," said a BLO in north Kolkata. According to officials, the hard copy of the 2002 SIR list was scanned and then uploaded on the system, and the details that were in Bengali were converted into English with the help of a translation tool. "This caused the mismatch for which the voters have been marked in the category of ‘logical discrepancies'," an official added.