Kolkata (PTI): As part of preparations to roll out SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal, election officials have successfully mapped and matched the records of nearly 3.5 crore voters with the 2002 data, a senior officer said on Wednesday.

According to West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal, this mapping process eliminates the need for fresh documentation or re-verification for voters whose details already match existing records. The aim is to streamline the voter list and ensure accuracy ahead of upcoming elections.

"The data-matching work is in its final stages across most districts. Except for Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, where recent natural calamities have delayed progress, almost all other districts have completed the mapping exercise," Agarwal told PTI.

Officials are expected to finish the remaining work by Thursday and upload the verified data to the portal, he said.

Agarwal said that mapping has been fully completed in seven districts so far.

Preliminary figures indicate that Alipurduar has recorded a 53 per cent match rate, Kalimpong 65 per cent, Malda 54 per cent, North Kolkata 55 per cent, Paschim Medinipur 62 per cent, Jhargram 51 per cent, and Purulia 61 per cent, an official said.

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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A case has been registered and a probe launched into social media posts allegedly threatening a member of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s security team with consequences once the UDF comes to power, officials said on Sunday.

The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police registered the case based on a complaint filed by Chief Minister’s security staff member Sandeep Sasidharan.

The Congress had earlier alleged that Sandeep and another officer, Anil Kumar, brutally assaulted two Youth Congress-KSU activists including using flower pot when they protested against the Chief Minister during the Navakerala Sadas programme in Alappuzha in 2023.

A subsequent probe was conducted against both officers, and the Crime Branch later gave them a clean chit.

Recently, following the conclusion of the state assembly election on April 9, several social media posts allegedly made by Congress, Youth Congress and KSU activists claimed that revenge would be taken once the LDF government is removed and the UDF comes to power.

Police said cases have been registered against Facebook accounts named Arun Rajendran, Tom Kuriakose, Yaser KP, Sony Panamthanam, Sarath Pillai, KSU Kanjiramkulam, Rahul John C and Youth Congress Battle.

According to the FIR, the complainant’s photograph and name were used in several social media posts threatening him with consequences and containing abusive language.

Police said the social media account holders have been identified and will soon be summoned as part of the investigation.

The case has been registered under Sections 296(b) (uttering obscene words causing public annoyance), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (acts done by several persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.