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ECI Explains Notice to Amartya Sen Over Voter List "Logical Discrepancy"

The Election Commission of India provided further clarification on why a hearing notice was issued to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen regarding the draft voters' list. The notice was triggered by a "logical discrepancy" because the age difference between Sen and his mother, Amita Sen, was recorded as less than 15 years in his enumeration form. Electoral officials subsequently visited Sen's ancestral home in Bolpur-Santiniketan to complete the formalities, noting he is an overseas elector. The clarification came after Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee had accused the ECI of unnecessarily troubling the economist.

Key Points: ECI Clarifies Notice to Amartya Sen on Voter List Issue

  • Notice due to age discrepancy with mother
  • ECI cites "logical discrepancies" in form
  • Officials visited Sen's home to resolve
  • Sen is an overseas elector in Bengal
  • Trinamool had criticized the notice
2 min read

Bengal SIR: ECI gives additional clarification on why a hearing notice was issued to Amartya Sen

The Election Commission clarifies the "logical discrepancy" in Amartya Sen's voter form that triggered a hearing notice, now resolved by officials.

"Since the age difference between the elector and his mother was less than 15 years, a logical discrepancy was flagged - CEO Office Statement"

Kolkata, Jan 7

The Election Commission of India on Wednesday gave an additional clarification on why the notice for hearing on claims and objections on the draft voters' list was served to Nobel Awardee Economist, Dr Amartya Sen.

On Tuesday, after the Trinamool Congress general secretary and the party's Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, accused the Commission of unnecessarily sending the hearing notice to Dr Sen, the ECI had given its initial clarification that the notice was served because of some "logical discrepancies" arising out of an error in spelling in the enumeration form.

On Tuesday, the Commission had also clarified that while the notice served as a rule in case of "logical discrepancies", there was no requirement for the Nobel Awardee to appear personally at the hearing centre.

On Wednesday, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal issued a statement further clarifying that there was another "logical discrepancy" factor in the enumeration form of Dr Sen, which was in relation to the age difference between Dr Sen and his mother being less than 15 years.

The CEO's office also informed that the electoral registration officer (ERO) and the booth-level officer (BLO) concerned arrived at the ancestral residence of Dr Sen at Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Wednesday and completed the formalities in the matter.

"The Enumeration Form of Shri Amartya Sen, an overseas elector, was received by his family member, Shri Shantabhanu Sen, who linked him with his mother, Smt. Amita Sen. Since the age difference between the elector and his mother was less than 15 years, a logical discrepancy was flagged by the ERO Net Portal. Notice was generated for Dr Amartya Sen in parity with the other discrepancy cases. Since the elector is aged 85 years plus, ERO/AERO, along with BLO, have visited his residence and completed the formalities," the statement from the CEO's office read.

Sen's ancestral residence is at Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum district, and he continues to be a voter there though he has long been residing in the US as a non-resident Indian.

The last time he had voted at Bolpur-Santiniketan was during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
While I understand the need for rules, this seems like unnecessary bureaucracy. A man of Dr. Sen's stature, and at 85+, should not be troubled by such technicalities. The system should have some common-sense exceptions. Glad it's resolved, but the process needs to be more humane.
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Abhishek O
The real question is why is this even news? Because TMC's Abhishek Banerjee made it an issue. Everything becomes political in Bengal. ECI was just doing its job impartially. We should focus on more important electoral issues than this.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see the process for overseas electors. The age difference flag is a bit odd though - human error in form filling is common. Appreciate that they sent officers to his home. Shows the system can be flexible when needed.
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Karthik V
Respectfully, I think the ECI's clarification is sufficient. The portal flagged a discrepancy, a notice was auto-generated. It's a standard process for every citizen, which is how it should be. No VIP culture. The visit by ERO/BLO is a good gesture for senior citizens. 🙏
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Meera T
As a Bengali, I'm proud Dr. Sen remains a voter in Santiniketan. It shows his connection to his roots despite living abroad. The officials visiting his ancestral home is touching. Hope all elderly voters get such assistance if needed.

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