Voter Roll Shock: Suvendu Adhikari Exposes ‘Absurd’ Age Mismatch in Bengal SIR

Kolkata: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of West Bengal's electoral rolls has sparked a new controversy with opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari alleging "absurd" demographic inconsistencies in voter data. He tweeted, directing the Election Commission of India, highlighting an alleged case involving voters from the North and South 24 Parganas districts. 

76-Year-Old Son and 65-Year-Old Mother 

The allegation centres on a voter, Abdul Majid Sekh, currently listed as 76 years old in the Bongaon South constituency (Booth No. 264). Adhikari pointed out that Sekh's name is not present on the 2002 voter list, despite him being an adult voter at that time. The most bizarre detail involves the woman he has identified as his mother, Jachimon Sekh, who is listed in the Gosaba constituency. According to the 2002 voter roll, she was 42, meaning she should be 65 now, making her an impossible 11 years younger than her supposed 76-year-old son. Furthermore, Adhikari alleged that Sekh's three sons also listed this same woman as their grandmother on other forms.

Sharing a tweet on his X account, he said, "How Many More Absurdities Will Bengal Witness Thanks to SIR!!!" He further wrote, "The son is 76 years old, the mother is 65! In Booth No. 264 of Ramnagar Gram Panchayat, Bongaon South constituency in North 24 Parganas, the name of 76-year-old voter Abdul Majid Sekh is not found in the 2002 voter list.”

He also stated that, “According to the current voter list (Serial No. 314), he is 76 years old, which means he was an adult during the 2002 SIR period and should have voted several times by then. His name should have been in that list, but it isn’t. Now comes the surprising part (though under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, nothing feels surprising anymore):”

He said, "The woman he has identified as his mother, Jachimon Sekh of Booth No. 55, Serial No. 401 in the Gosaba constituency of South 24 Parganas, had her age listed as 42 in the 2002 voter roll. So after 23 years, in 2025, her current age will be 65. Meanwhile, the son’s current age is 76, meaning the mother is 11 years younger than her own son!"

“It has also been learnt that the man’s three sons have allegedly submitted SIR forms showing this woman as their grandmother. Such examples are now being found everywhere. People are posing as each other’s parents, someone’s father is being portrayed as a father-in-law, and many such bizarre records are surfacing. If the SIR process is completed properly, Bengal’s population will certainly decrease, and the demographic records will be corrected. If these allegations are proven true, I urge the Election Commission to file an FIR against this person and ensure exemplary punishment,” stated Adhikari.

Call for Investigation 

Adhikari mentioned that unusual records are emerging all over the place during the SIR process, like people pretending to be each other's family. He thinks that if the revision is done correctly, it will significantly improve the state's records. He wants the Election Commission to initiate an FIR immediately against anyone involved if these claims turn out to be true. 

He wants those who provide fake information to tamper with the electoral roll to face severe punishment. So far, the Election Commission hasn't made any official statement about these specific claims. This makes the SIR exercise even more of a political hot topic, especially since the Trinamool Congress already had issues with how it's being run.

Mamata Banerjee Urged ECI to Halt 'Chaotic' SIR Process

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written a strong letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, demanding a halt to the SIR process. She detailed that the ongoing exercise was “unplanned, chaotic, and dangerous.” She mentioned the tragic death by suicide of a woman (an Anganwadi worker/BLO) who was overwhelmed by the "crushing pressure" of the SIR work, saying that the human suffering from this poor management is now too much to bear.

She also claimed that the entire process was flawed from the start due to a lack of proper preparation, inadequate training for the workers, computer server issues, and incorrect data appearing repeatedly. The Chief Minister accused the Chief Electoral Officer's office of intimidating the workers (BLOs) by giving out unfair warnings and threatening them with punishment.

She also warned that the work, which should take three years, is being rushed into only three months. This forces the workers to do much more than they can handle and may cause real, registered voters to be unfairly removed from the list, rendering the entire record incorrect.

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