500,000 new voters added in Bengal rolls through Form-6 requests: EC

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Nearly 500,000 new voters were added to West Bengal’s electoral rolls between the publication of the final list on February 28 and the close of nominations, according to senior officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The fresh enrolments have triggered a political row in the poll-bound state. (ANI FILE)The additions came from around 709,000 Form-6 applications, submitted across the two phases of nominations. After verification, about 500,000 applicants were found eligible and included in the rolls, reflecting the Commission’s rolling enrolment process that allows registrations until nominations close. When the final electoral roll was published on February 28, 188,207 new voters were included through this form. Over the following month, as the nomination process progressed, a further 500,000 names were incorporated. District-wise data shows North 24 Parganas recorded the highest addition with over 71,000 new voters, followed by Kolkata with nearly 44,000. Howrah, Hooghly and East Midnapore were also among the top districts. The total electorate in the state now stands at 68.2 million, including over 34.9 million male voters, more than 33.3 million women, and 1,257 voters in the third gender category. Officials said the number could rise further as pending cases are decided by appellate tribunals. The fresh enrolments have triggered a political row in the poll-bound state. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed fraudulent Form-6 applications to enrol “outsiders”, calling it “voter hijacking”. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed bulk applications were submitted across constituencies to influence voter rolls. The BJP rejected the charges, accusing the TMC of trying to discredit the electoral process. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari alleged large-scale irregularities in voter lists, while BJP leader Amit Malviya questioned the TMC’s claims on infiltration. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal said complaints were being examined and warned of legal action against false applications. He clarified that Form-6 can only be filed by the applicant and not on someone else’s behalf. West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with scope for further additions to the rolls as pending cases are resolved before polling.