Kolkata, Dec 7 (NationPress) As the digitization of enumeration forms in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal approaches its conclusion, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed electoral officials within the state to concentrate on meticulous 'progeny' mapping due to significant discrepancies found in the identities of parents in the current voters’ list as of October 27.

“Progeny” mapping serves to verify whether the names of a voter's parents on the current list correspond with those recorded in the 2002 list, which was the last time SIR was executed in West Bengal.

Sources from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office in West Bengal revealed that the ECI is prioritizing detailed “progeny” mapping, following cases where the names of parents for certain voters in the current list did not match those from the 2002 database.

These discrepancies were discovered during the digitization of enumeration forms, which included both “self” mapping and “progeny” mapping.

Simultaneously, an insider from the CEO's office mentioned that the ECI has decided to implement a random survey of properly filled enumeration forms collected by booth-level officers (BLOs) in every booth statewide.

This random survey will involve selecting a specific number of collected enumeration forms from each booth or section for examination to identify any significant errors in the data for that booth or section. The survey will be overseen by specially appointed observers to evaluate the ongoing revision process in the state.

The ECI has also reminded that beyond the BLOs, the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) bear the responsibility for effectively executing the mapping exercise.

The total voter count, according to the list as of October 27, stands at 7,66,37,529. The SIR initiative commenced on November 4.

The draft voters' list is scheduled for publication on December 16, while the final voters' list, following the completion of all associated processes, will be made public on February 14.

The ECI has already issued new directives to electoral officials at various levels involved in the ongoing SIR regarding the compilation of a distinct list of deceased voters in the state.

The central electoral body has tasked electoral officials with double-checking the data of individuals already identified as deceased during the digitization and mapping of the duly filled enumeration forms against the 2002 list.

The ECI has also outlined three sources for the re-verification of data on deceased voters.

The initial source includes records of deaths registered with various municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayats within the state.

The second source, as indicated by the ECI, consists of death records held by insurance companies and banks. The final source for re-verification is the list of beneficiaries under various social welfare schemes established by the state government, particularly those linked to death benefits.