The Trinamool Congress on Saturday began a pan-Bengal exercise to identify “ghost” voters, whose names are on the electoral roll, as part of a campaign against the BJP which, according to Mamata Banerjee, was manipulating voter lists in collusion with the Election Commission of India.

From Calcutta to Cooch Behar, TMC leaders ranging from senior ministers to district-level functionaries went door-to-door to check and cross-check electoral rolls in their respective areas.

“This drive is not just for a week or a month. Scrutinising voter lists will continue as a regular practice alongside campaign activities and other political engagements until the 2026 Assembly polls,” said a senior Trinamool leader in Calcutta, who is a member of the chief minister’s core committee on voter list scrutiny.

While Calcutta mayor and minister Firhad Hakim began door-to-door visits in Chetla to identify alleged ghost voters, minister Udayan Guha hit the ground in his Dinhata constituency in Cooch Behar district.

“As directed by our chief minister Mamata Banerjee, we will ensure that elections are held democratically. We will not allow a single ghost voter’s name to remain on the electoral roll,” Hakim said while visiting a voter in his Assembly constituency.

Asked about the BJP’s claim that the drive was aimed at eliminating Hindu voters, particularly non-Bengalis, Hakim said: “It is the BJP that engages in divisive politics. They are trying to destroy democracy.”

A TMC leader said after the initial round of voter list scrutiny across the state, a second round would follow during the official electoral roll revision scheduled to begin at the end of this year. The Election Commission of India (EC) updates the electoral rolls annually every January.

“Trinamool workers’ primary task will be to monitor this revision process closely to ensure that no outsider’s name is added and the names of genuine voters are not removed from the list,” said the TMC leader.

According to sources, Mamata had received reports of Elector’s Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) with the same serial numbers. She cited cases in which Bengal voters’ EPIC numbers were found to match those of electors in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Following her directives, multiple teams led by senior TMC leaders were deployed to investigate how widespread those anomalies were in different areas.

A TMC source said while studying the electoral rolls, the party had found that specific EPIC number series assigned to districts or Assembly segments in Bengal were also being used in other states.

For instance, EPIC number GTM 2429959, belonging to Dhaniram Barman of Cooch Behar, was found to be identical to that of Janardhan Rajaram, a voter from a constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, EPIC number XYZ0025528, assigned to Jillal Hossain from Raninagar in Murshidabad, matched that of Ram Bilas Shokand, a voter from Hisar, Haryana.

“An EPIC number is supposed to be unique. Anyone can change their residence and register as a voter in their new constituency. However, how can the EC issue EPICs with identical numbers in different states? This suggests foul play aimed at manipulating the election process,” said Samirul Islam, a TMC Rajya Sabha member.

“That is why we are actively investigating all instances of duplicate EPIC numbers involving voters from BJP-ruled states. Our chief minister has rightfully exposed this conspiracy,” added Islam, who is a member of Mamata’s core committee on voter
list scrutiny.

However, some TMC leaders remain unclear about the BJP’s alleged strategy. They ask how individuals from other states could physically cast votes at polling stations in Bengal given that most political workers are familiar with their local voter base.

“The party should clarify the BJP’s exact strategy. Is their goal to remove our voters from the list or to insert outsiders into Bengal’s electoral roll?” asked a TMC leader
in Birbhum.

Amid this controversy, the ECI reminded political parties about the official process for updating electoral rolls.

“As per RP Act 1950, Registration of Electors Rules 1960 and Manual on Electoral Rolls (https://tinyurl.com/3h3ftkh7) , concerned BLOs, AEROs, EROs, DEOs and CEOs in any State/UT work for the updation of Electoral Rolls,” the chief electoral officer (CEO), Bengal, wrote on the official X handle.

“This is done with active participation of Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties. Any specific claim or objections are to be made first before the concerned 80,633 BLOs, 3,049 AEROs and 294 EROs in West Bengal,” it added.