Archive · 1 Feb 2026
EC Suspends Officer Over Voter List Irregularities in Bengal
The Election Commission in India has suspended an officer named Sumitra Pratim Pradhan who was working in West Bengal.
This officer was in charge of updating the list of voters in a specific area called Basirhat North.
The Election Commission found out that this officer did some things that were not allowed, like appointing extra helpers and making decisions without proper authority.
Because of these mistakes, the officer has been suspended immediately and cannot work on any election-related tasks anymore.
The Commission also asked the state government to start a disciplinary action against the officer and report back within two days.
This issue was brought to the Commission's attention by the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari.
Additionally, a video has gone viral showing a Trinamool Congress leader disrupting a voter list hearing in Pandua, Hooghly district.
The BJP has accused the TMC of trying to derail the voter list revision process to prevent the removal of fake voters.
The TMC has not officially responded to these allegations.
The Election Commission suspended Sumitra Pratim Pradhan, the BDO of Basirhat–II block, over irregularities in voter list revision.
Pradhan appointed 11 additional AEROs and conducted hearings without legal authority, violating Section 13C of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The Commission directed the state government to initiate disciplinary proceedings and report progress within 48 hours.
Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, raised the complaint.
A viral video shows TMC leader Sanjog Ghosh allegedly disrupting a voter list hearing in Pandua, Hooghly district, with BJP accusing TMC of trying to derail the revision process.
- Who
- Sumitra Pratim Pradhan, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Basirhat–II block and Sanjog Ghosh, TMC Pandua block president
- What
- Suspension of Pradhan over irregularities in voter list revision and allegations of disruption by Ghosh
- When
- January 30, 2024
- Where
- Basirhat North Assembly constituency and Pandua, Hooghly district, West Bengal
- Why
- Alleged serious irregularities in the voter list revision hearing process and disruption of the process by TMC leaders
Trinamool Congress
BJP
Disruption of Voter List Hearing
Trinamool Congress
No official statement from TMC on the incident, but local leaders allegedly involved in disrupting hearings.
BJP
BJP claims TMC is deliberately disrupting the Special Intensive Revision exercise to prevent removal of fake voters.
- Officer Suspended
- Sumitra Pratim Pradhan, BDO of Basirhat–II block
- Constituency
- Basirhat North Assembly constituency
- Violation
- Section 13C of the Representation of the People Act, 1950
- Action Taken
- Suspension and removal from election duties
- Complaint Raised By
- Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal
- Reporting Deadline
- 48 hours for progress of disciplinary inquiry
- Incident Location
- Pandua, Hooghly district
- Alleged Disruptor
- Sanjog Ghosh, TMC Pandua block president
Sources
EC suspends AERO over voter list hearing irregularities in Bengal
Bengal SIR: Uploading unlisted documents as listed ones a ‘grave and deliberate’ offence, warns ECI
Viral video shows TMC leader disrupting voter list hearing in Bengal, BJP slams act
ECI warns of unlisted documents being uploaded, calls it ‘deliberate’ lapse
Mamata Banerjee writes to CEC over role of SROs, micro-observers
