ECI to scrutinise West Bengal domicile certificates issued after July 2025

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has flagged domicile certificates issued by the West Bengal government after July 2025 for special scrutiny, ahead of the hearing sessions on claims and objections to the draft voters’ list starting Saturday. These certificates, which are being used as identity documents by voters, will be closely examined for authenticity and eligibility.

The Commission has instructed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal to ensure that District Magistrates, who also serve as District Electoral Officers (DEOs), along with subordinate electoral officers, verify the domicile certificates submitted by “unmapped” voters — those not linked to the 2002 voters’ list through self- or progeny-mapping.

According to sources in the CEO’s office, the scrutiny will focus on two main parameters: whether the certificates are genuine or fraudulent, and whether they have been issued to bona fide residents of the state.

The checking process will occur at two levels: first by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and then by the DEOs. Micro-observers appointed for the hearings have also been instructed to report any irregularities in the submission of domicile certificates.

The decision to place certificates issued after July 2025 under special observation comes following complaints from opposition parties that the state administration had allegedly issued them indiscriminately, without proper background verification. Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, has previously raised concerns about certificates being issued to illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants.

The hearings on claims and objections will commence on Saturday, after which a review of all submitted documents will take place. The final voters’ list is scheduled to be published on 14 February 2026, following which the ECI is expected to announce polling dates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.

With IANS inputs