Fake voters increased in 100 WB assembly seats: ECI

The Election Commission has identified 100 assembly seats in West Bengal in which the numbers of fake and illegal voters have increased. All the 294 assembly seats have been scrutinized to ascertain the numbers. According to officials of Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal there are many discrepancies in voters lists in the state including duplication of names, non- deletion person’s name. Border districts including Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas have been identified in which fake voters’ number increased.

As per report, earlier this month, the ECI had sent a letter to the state government, directing suspension and filing of FIRs against the five officials. The ECI had called for suspension of Debottam Dutta Choudhury, ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) and Tathagata Mondal, (AERO) Assistant Electoral Registration Officer for the 137-Baruipur Purba Assembly Constituency, and Biplab Sarkar, ERO and Sudipta Das, AERO for the 206-Moyna Assembly Constituency. Additionally, it had also said that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against these officials, and FIRs be filed against them and casual data entry operator, Surojit Halder. The officials have been accused of failing to perform their duties, and of data breach by sharing their login credentials of the electoral database with unauthorised persons. However, in response, a day after the letter, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made it clear that she would not allow action against them. The state government had subsequently informed the ECI that it had removed two of the five officers from active election duty, but had not suspended them yet.