The Election Commission of India (ECI) has disclosed that 1,90,463 Form-6 applications were submitted for adding new names to the voters’ list between December 16, 2025, and January 3, 2026. In contrast, 38,214 Form-7 applications were received during the same period for deleting names from the list. Most Form-7 requests were related to deceased voters who passed away after the draft list publication.
The ECI noted that the higher number of Form-6 applications compared to Form-7 applications post the draft list publication was not unusual. Additionally, the ECI has sought a detailed report from West Bengal Police’s Director General, Rajeev Kumar, regarding the incident involving the heckling of the ECI-appointed special observer, Murugan, in Magarahat, South 24 Parganas district.
Rajeev Kumar has been instructed to provide an action taken report (ATR) by January 6. The ECI also questioned the lack of adequate security arrangements for Murugan during his supervisory duties. Furthermore, the ECI warned the state police against future security lapses for voter list observers, emphasizing the seriousness of such oversights.
Recently, the Union Home Ministry upgraded the security grade of Central Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, Manoj Agarwal, to ‘Y-category’ based on ECI recommendations. This upgrade allows Agarwal to receive security cover from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel. The CEO’s office in central Kolkata will also witness CAPF deployment as per the new security measures.
