ECI says ‘logical discrepancies’ in voter list drop by over 41 lakh
The Statesman | 4 January 2026
The Election Commission on Friday said the number of “logical discrepancies” detected in the electoral rolls of West Bengal during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has come down significantly, from 1.36 crore to 94.49 lakh, a reduction of 41.51 lakh cases.
According to the commission, logical discrepancies refer to anomalies in voter data such as mismatches in names, abnormal age gaps between voters and their parents, or inconsistencies involving grandparents’ ages.
Earlier, the commission had initially pegged the number of such discrepancies at 1.67 crore, which was later revised to 1.36 crore.
The latest revision brings the figure down further, with officials indicating that the number may reduce even more after the hearing process is completed.
Breaking up the revised figures, the commission said cases where one individual has been linked with six voters stand at 23 lakh.
Instances of name mismatches account for 51 lakh cases.
Around 4.74 lakh voters have an age gap of less than 15 years with their fathers, while 8.41 lakh cases show a gap of more than 50 years.
Discrepancies involving the age difference between voters and their grandfathers have been found in about 3 lakh cases.
The issue of logical discrepancies recently triggered a political row after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned the manner in which the lists were released.
He alleged that the commission published the draft electoral roll and the logical discrepancy list on the same day, without issuing any formal press release.
“A list called ‘logical discrepancies’ was floated in the air. There was no official press release. It was shared on WhatsApp. We have screenshots. It claims that 1.36 crore voters have spelling errors in names or age-related discrepancies with their fathers,” Banerjee said.
“By what magic did the commission publish both the draft roll and the logical discrepancy list on the same day?” he had asked.
Following this, the TMC escalated the matter, demanding the publication of the complete discrepancy list after meeting the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Meanwhile, after “no mapping,” the commission has begun preparations to summon voters for hearings under “progeny mapping.”
Progeny mapping refers to cases where more than six voters share the same father’s name, suggesting that a single guardian has submitted multiple enumeration forms as the parent of several voters.
Sources said there are instances where as many as 100 voters share the same father’s name.
Around 24 lakh voters fall under the progeny mapping category. The commission has prepared notices to call them for hearings, and the process of serving the notices is set to begin shortly.