Rise in voters in Bengal: Final electoral roll 2015

Kolkata, Jan 8: The number of voters in West Bengal has gone up to 6.37 crore, an increase of 13.14 lakh, according to the final electoral roll released this week. [Delhi: SMS service to find out if name registered in voter's list]

This represented a growth of about 2.11 per cent over the draft electoral roll. "The total number of electors in the final roll stands at 6,37,35,915 against 6,24,21,579 in the draft roll," Joint Chief Electoral Officer Jaydip Mukherjee said after the new updated voters' list was released.

The final voters' list was the result of a special summary revision of the draft roll undertaken last October by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer. Out of this, male voters in the final roll increased to 3,31,06,069 and female voters to 3,06,29,238 from a total number of male and female voters in draft roll at 3,24,66,424 and 2,99,54,656 respectively, Mukherjee said.

Electors under third gender category also registered a growth from 499 in the draft roll to 608 in the final roll during the special summary revision.

Of the 13.14 lakh new inclusion in the final roll, around 11.14 lakh are first-time voters who turned 18 on January 1, 2015. The electors within the age-group of 18 to 19 constitute 3.04 per cent of the total number of electors in the final roll, a drop from 3.33 per cent in 2014, Mukherjee said.

Out of this, the minority-dominated Malda district accounted for the highest rise at 3.47 per cent. This was followed by Cooch Behar at 3.35 per cent, Darjeeling at 3.32 per cent, South Dinajpur at 2.64 per cent, North 24-Parganas at 2.63 per cent, Jalpaiguri 2.61 per cent, North Dinajpur at 2.60 per cent, Purulia at 2.56 per cent, Howrah at 2.31 per cent, Murshidabad at 2.24 per cent, Hooghly at 1.99 per cent, Birbhum at 1.94 per cent, West Midnapore and Bankura at 1.74 per cent, South 24-Parganas at 1.73 per cent, East Midnapore at 1.70 per cent, Burdwan at 1.62 per cent and Nadia at 1.39 per cent.

Kolkata North and Kolkata South have registered the lowest growth at less than one per cent, the statistics available from the CEO's office said.

PTI