Bengal SIR: ECI relaxes rules for migrant workers, students studying outside for hearing sessions

Kolkata: Physical presence for hearing sessions will not be mandatory for migrant workers from West Bengal who are currently residing in other states for their livelihoods and students from the state studying elsewhere, who have been detected as “logical discrepancy” cases in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission of India (ECI) has clarified.

Family members of such categories of voters would be able to reach the hearing centres on their behalf and furnish the required documents to clarify the ECI’s doubts in the matter, confirmed an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

The relaxation in the matter, the sources confirmed, has been given consideration, as both in terms of migrant workers working elsewhere and students studying in other states, the numbers are extremely high from West Bengal.

At the same time, the booth-level officers (BLOs) who will be reaching the residences of the voters to serve the notices will also explain to the voters or their family members why their names have been detected as a “logical discrepancy” during the course of “progeny mapping”.

The ECI has also sought a declaration from West Bengal government employees confirming that they are not duplicate voters, that is, voters having their names in the voters’ list at two places.

With the process of conducting a hearing for “unmapped” voters already completed, the ECI, from Tuesday, has already started sending notices to the “logical discrepancy” category voters detected in the draft voters’ list, which was published on December 16 last year.

The total number of “unmapped” voters in the state whose hearing process is almost complete stands at over 30 lakh. On the other hand, the total number of voters identified as “logical discrepancy” cases stands at around 92 lakh.

The hearing sessions for the “logical discrepancy” cases will start on January 13. The final voters’ list for West Bengal will be published on February 14, which means that the hearing for the “logical discrepancy” cases will have to be completed within less than a month.

Soon after the publication of the draft voters’ list, a full bench of the ECI will come to Kolkata and take a stock of the situation. Shortly after that, the ECI will announce the polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections scheduled for this year.

IANS