A big controversy has come to light in Basirhat North assembly constituency of West Bengal. Here the names of 340 voters have been suddenly removed from a single polling station. The most surprising thing was that all these voters belonged to the same community, after which protests started in the area. This case pertains to booth number 5 of Boro Gobra village of Basirhat. In the first supplementary voter list released on March 23, 2026, it was found that 340 people whose names were earlier “under adjudication” have been completely removed. The most shocking thing is that all the people removed are said to be related to the Muslim community, due to which the matter has become more sensitive.

BLO’s name also missing from the list

The most surprising thing in this case was that the name of Booth Level Officer (BLO) Mohammad Shafiul Alam was also removed from the voter list. Not only this, the names of two other members of his family were also not found in the list. Whereas the job of BLO is to check and verify the documents of voters.

After the name was removed, a large number of local people came out on the streets and protested. The protesting people say that their right to vote has been taken away without any concrete reason.

Names removed despite having documents

BLO Shafiul Alam says that he himself checked the documents of all the voters and uploaded them digitally. According to him, the papers of most of the people were correct, yet the removal of their names is beyond comprehension.

Did not get satisfactory answer from the administration

On this matter, officials say that now nothing can be done at their level. No clear answer has been given by the Election Registration Officer (ERO).

The supplementary voter list before the West Bengal Assembly elections has created a new storm in the politics of the state. The Election Commission released the first SIR Supplementary Voter List around midnight on Monday 23 March, but till now it has not been made clear as to how many names of voters have been added or removed, this uncertainty has intensified the war of allegations and counter-allegations between political parties.

In the final voter list released on February 28, about 60 lakh names were marked under adjudication. On the instructions of the Supreme Court, 705 judicial officers were appointed to review these cases. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Aggarwal had said that till now the decision has been taken on about 29 lakh names, while the process of remaining cases is going on.

Trinamool Congress raised questions

Trinamool Congress has raised serious questions on this process. Kolkata Mayor and Minister Firhad Hakim made the allegation. He said, ‘It has been seen that the names of about 40 percent people in Bhawanipur assembly constituency have been tampered. The Constitution gives us the right to vote and anyone who opposes the Constitution is against India. If the Election Commission is against India then we will approach the High Court and demand its removal, because it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure that every citizen gets the opportunity to vote.

Answer of BJP State President Sukant Majumdar

BJP state president Sukant Majumdar also said that this process is under judicial supervision. He said, ‘The supplementary voter list has been prepared under the supervision of the Supreme Court and officers appointed by the Kolkata High Court. At the strategic level, meetings are being held with Nitin Naveen on sector-wise plans. Limited workers are being called in these meetings and focus is being placed on specific areas and seats. BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal justified the list by saying, “Names do not change after midnight. Whether you see it in the morning or evening, the names remain the same. The fake voters who were added have now been removed. In a democracy, only legal voters have the right to vote, not illegal ones.”

electoral politics on voter list

Voters have been asked to download the booth-level list to check their status, but many have complained of technical glitches. Voters whose names have been removed have been given the right to appeal to the designated tribunal within 15 days. This ongoing dispute over voter list can make electoral politics more intense. On one hand, BJP is calling it ‘cleansing of fake voters’, while TMC is calling it an attack on democratic rights. Now everyone’s eyes are on the next step of the Election Commission. Only the final figures and the lists to be released will decide whether this controversy will stop or it will intensify the electoral battle. In view of the election atmosphere, security has been tightened across the state. Voting for the 294-member assembly is to be held on April 23 and 29, while counting of votes will take place on May 4.

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New Guidelines for EVM Bihar Elections: Preparations for Bihar assembly elections are in full swing. Even though the Election Commission has not yet announced the voting dates, but before that an important change has been implemented. This time, when voters reach to vote, they will see colorful pictures of candidates on EVM ballot. Earlier, photo black and white used to be printed on ballot paper.

The Election Commission says that this initiative is being first started from Bihar. Later it will also be implemented in other states. Under the new guideline, the picture of the candidate will be in three-fourths on the ballot paper so that voters can easily identify the face. Also, the sequence number will also be given more prominence than before. Let us know how much the Election Commission spends on installing EVMs at a booth.

EVM cost

According to the Election Commission data, the price of the ballot unit is around Rs 7991, while the price of control unit has been fixed at Rs 9812. VVPAT is more expensive than these two, which costs around Rs 16,132. Once purchased EVM machine can be used for 15 years on an average, which argues to reduce the cost of election. However, critics believe that after the election ends, it costs a lot in keeping EVMs safe and hi -tech monitoring on them.

How much is spent for EVMs at polling booth

It is not an easy task to hold elections in a huge democratic country like India. To ensure transparency and security at every booth, the Election Commission has to spend a large amount. According to the reports, only 50 to 60 thousand rupees are spent on an average on installing EVMs at one polling station and arrangements related to it. This includes the technical system of EVMs, transport, deployment of security forces and all the allowances of polling personnel.

Expenditure from Assembly to Lok Sabha

If we talk about the assembly elections, millions of booths are made in a state. In such a situation, the total cost reaches thousands of crores of rupees. At the same time, the scope of Lok Sabha elections is much larger than this. More than 1 million polling booths are set up all over the country. According to this, only the cost of thousands of crores of rupees is incurred on booths and EVM management.

The Election Commission says that this expenditure is spent for the strength of democracy and guarantee of fair election. Expenditure includes security arrangements, personnel training, facilities at polling stations and voter awareness campaigns. Experts believe that this investment is necessary for technology and transparency.

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