West Bengal SIR Drive Throws Up Bizarre Data: Woman “Gave Birth to Two Children Within a Month”, EC Concerned

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has encountered highly unusual and questionable data during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Officials involved in the verification process have reported several cases where the birth dates mentioned in documents appear unreliable, delaying the scrutiny and verification work.

The draft voter list in West Bengal is currently under the claims-and-objections stage, which is scheduled to conclude by February 21, 2026, while the final publication of the electoral roll is set for February 28.

Two Children Born Within One Month

According to a report, one such shocking case emerged from the Metiaburuz area in South Kolkata, where the third and fourth children of a couple reportedly have birth dates less than a month apart.

The documents submitted during the SIR process mention the birth dates of the two children as:

• December 5, 1990
• January 1, 1991

The Election Commission confirmed that all ten members of the family were identified, and documents consistently listed the same parents—SK Abdul Hai as the father and Manowara Bibi as the mother.

Officials also noted that out of the ten children, four were recorded as being born on January 1, raising serious doubts about the authenticity of the submitted records.

Birth Certificate Issued Just Two Days Ago

In another suspicious case from Baranagar in North 24 Parganas, a person submitted a birth certificate that was reportedly issued just two days earlier. During scrutiny, the Election Commission found inconsistencies, including one voter being mapped with the 2002 list as a five-year-old, while another was found to be 13 years old.

The case involved a birth certificate submitted by Papil Sarkar, where the date of birth was written as March 6, 1908, but records suggested the birth certificate had been registered two days before the birth, on March 4, 1993, raising major red flags.

32 Lakh Names Under “Unmapped” Category

Election Commission sources estimate that nearly 32 lakh names in West Bengal fall under the “unmapped” category. These are voters whose names, or whose relatives’ names, do not appear in the 2002 electoral rolls, making verification even more challenging.

Cases Sent for Further Verification

Several such irregular cases have now been referred to the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) for deeper scrutiny. In some instances, verification will also be conducted through the concerned hospital authorities.

In another case from Memari in Purba Bardhaman, a voter’s birth date was recorded vaguely as XX/1987, further highlighting inconsistencies in submitted enumeration forms.

Election Commission officials stated that such questionable records have made the SIR process difficult and time-consuming, and strict verification will be carried out before finalizing the electoral rolls.