Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of Opposition in the Bengal Legislative Assembly, alleged the ruling Trinamool in collusion with a section of the administration, was pressuring the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) not to remove the names of dead voters from the electoral rolls in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Suvendu shared an unverified audio clip on his X of an unidentified BLO and another person discussing the problems of removal of dead voters from the list from Falta in South 24-Parganas.
The unidentified BLO says the process of removing dead voters from the electoral rolls had started when an Assistant Electoral Registration Officer instructed them not to remove the names of dead voters without a death certificate.
“We have been told names of no dead voters will be removed without the death certificate issued by the municipality or the panchayat concerned,” the unidentified BLO is heard saying.
A little later the BLO says a Block Development Officer has instructed the written testimony of a dead voter’s kin cannot be considered as fool-proof evidence.
“They said you don’t have to do anything. Return the forms that mentioned the voter is dead,” the BLO says.
The BLO mentioned that the Special Roll Observer appointed by the Election Commission, Subrata Gupta had instructed the BLOs to remove the names of all dead voters during his meeting on Sunday.
“There is a lot of pressure to un-map the voters. No dead voter has been removed since the SIR was conducted in 2002,” the BLO is heard saying.
The commission has till 1 December detected around 21 lakh dead voters in Bengal, while the total number of “uncollectable” forms (which includes deceased, duplicate, permanently shifted, and untraceable voters) is over 43 lakh.
“I am telling the voters and the BLOs not to be intimidated. All of you come forward to assist the EC in preparing an error free voters’ list. The BDOs and AROs who are working on the Trinamool’s instructions, I am warning them. The BJP is keeping a strict watch on them. They will have to face the consequences,” said Suvendu.