‘Scientifically impossible to entertain as valid mapping’: EC says 2.06 lakh Bengal electors linked to more than 6 children

As per the EC’s October 27, 2025, instructions for the SIR in 12 states/Union Territories, including West Bengal, all registered electors were to establish a link to the last intensive revision in their state/UT through either their own name or a parent’s name in that previous electoral roll.

All those who could not establish a link would be asked to appear for hearings and to provide additional documents to prove their eligibility to remain electors, including citizenship. The period for serving notices is until January 31.

Five types of ‘identified discrepancies’

In its reply, EC said “certain aspects” had emerged during the conduct of the SIR that required a “different approach”. It said technological tools had been adopted for the verification process.

“ECI has to also ensure that details of citizens of West Bengal are not misused through mapping to any name where there is no proof of parent-children relationship,” it said.

It added that the Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) of Assembly constituencies had “generated notices for verification” of five types of “identified discrepancies”. These categories comprise the name of the elector in the current electoral roll not matching with the name in the last intensive revision roll; less than 15 year age gap between elector and parent; more than 50 year age gap between elector and parent; less than 40 year age gap between elector and grandparents; and, six or more electors mapped as progeny of one person.

Regarding the age gap categories, EC said that while the age gap could be possible, it raised “suspicion”.

In the case of the electors flagged for being one of the six or more children of the same person, the EC said: “It was noticed that in many cases electors had marked some unrelated person as their parents to establish a link to the previous SIR electoral roll.”

Citing the National Family Health Survey-5 of 2019-2021, the EC said the average number of children per family is 2 or 3. The EC gave examples of electors linked to “unusually high numbers of children”, including two electors linked to 389 and 310 progeny, respectively.

The EC said 4.59 lakh electors had been linked to more than five children; 2.06 lakh to more than six children; 8,682 to more than 10 children; 50 to more than 20 children; 14 to more than 30 children; 10 to more than 40 children; 10 to more than 50 children; seven to more than 100 children; and two to more than 200 children.

“Many of such instances are scientifically impossible to entertain as valid mapping. Therefore, cases in which six or more electors have mapped/linked themselves to one person, merits greater scrutiny as regards validity of linkage. In such cases, EROs are issuing notices to verify whether matching has been done correctly to weed out the chance of fraudulent mapping,” EC wrote.

EROs and notices

Unlike the annual Special Summary Revision, where additions and deletions are made to the electoral rolls, in the SIR, the EC prepares the rolls afresh, asking all electors to submit enumeration forms within a one-month period, and then certain categories of electors are asked to submit additional documents.

EC’s reply marks the first instance in which it has explained the process for generating notices for “logical discrepancies” flagged by software, which has not been mentioned in its June 24, 2025, order or in the October 27, 2025, detailed instructions for the SIR in 12 states/UTs.

EC said that “there is no automated generation of notices under the SIR exercise” and that “notices are generated by EROs by selecting the option for generation of notices on the ERO App”. What the EC did not mention is that the notices are generated through a centralised software and appear on the ERO log-in for the ERO to consider, as sources involved in the process have told The Indian Express.

“EROs are issuing notices by signing them after application of mind based on the information available with him and as provided by the BLO [Booth Level Officer] through the BLO App with respect to mapping of entries and their linkage to the previous SIR roll of 2002,” it said.

The matter is scheduled to be taken up for hearing on Tuesday next.