The Election Commission on Thursday turned down a proposal to include admit cards issued by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education for the Madhyamik exams in the list of documents for verification during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
In a letter sent to Bengal’s chief electoral officer, an under-secretary in the commission wrote, “… it is noted that as per the Commission’s instructions issued vide letter dated 27. 10. 2025 for the conduct of SIR in West Bengal, the Madhyamik (Class X) admit card is not listed as an admissible document for verification purpose. In view of the above, the Commission is of the opinion that the proposal to accept the Madhyamik admit card as a valid document cannot be acceded to.”
The Madhyamik admit card includes the candidate’s father’s name along with school details.
Picture from social media
The commission had earlier announced 13 documents that can be submitted to the poll personnel involved in the SIR exercise for verification.
These include identity card issued to a central or state government employee or pension holder, documents issued by post offices, banks, LIC or any local authority before 1987, birth certificate, passport, residential certificate issued by a state government authority, forest rights certificate, caste certificate, family register maintained by local administration and government-issued land or house allotment certificate.
The commission has allowed Adhaar, as a proof of identity or residence, but not as a stand-alone document.
Last week, the central poll panel had turned down a proposal to include domicile certificates issued by the state government.
The Trinamool Barrackpore MP Partha Bhowmick said the EC was working in a whimsical manner.
“If the Madhyamik admit card is not valid, what is valid? The EC is working with the singular aim of deleting as many names from the voter list as possible. They are issuing fresh instructions at the drop of a hat,” Bhowmick told The Telegraph Online.
The Barrackpore MP, who was among the delegates to have met the chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal on Wednesday, said the Trinamool leadership was holding discussions on the latest instruction from the central poll panel.
The Bengal BJP in-charge of Election Commission, Shishir Bajoria said, “The EC has decided on the basis of its list of acceptable documents. A Madhyamik admit card is a document that can be misused by anyone.”
