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ECI Eases Rules for Bengal Migrants, Students in Voter List Hearings

The Election Commission of India has clarified that migrant workers from West Bengal and students studying in other states will not need to be physically present for voter list hearing sessions. Their family members can represent them and submit required documents to clarify discrepancies. The commission has identified a massive 92 lakh voters under "logical discrepancy" cases in the draft list published in December. Hearings for these cases begin January 13, with the final voters' list scheduled for publication on February 14 ahead of the crucial state assembly elections.

Key Points: ECI Relaxes Hearing Rules for Bengal Migrant Workers, Students

  • Relaxation for migrant workers & students
  • Family can represent at hearings
  • Over 92 lakh "logical discrepancy" cases
  • Final voter list by Feb 14
2 min read

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

Election Commission allows family representation for Bengal migrant workers and students in voter list hearings. Over 92 lakh discrepancy cases identified.

"Physical presence for hearing sessions will not be mandatory - Election Commission of India"

Kolkata, Jan 7

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, the Election Commission of India 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

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Finally some sense! My brother works in Kerala and was worried about this notice. Family can now represent him. But 92 lakh discrepancies? That's a huge number. Makes you wonder about the accuracy of past lists.
D
David E
As someone observing from outside, this seems like a necessary administrative adjustment for a large democracy. The scale of internal migration in India is massive. Streamlining the process is key to a fair electoral roll.
A
Aditya G
Good move, but the timeline is very tight. Less than a month to complete hearings for 92 lakh people? Hope the BLOs are properly trained to explain the "progeny mapping" issue clearly to families, especially in rural areas.
S
Shreya B
My father had to go through this for my sister studying in Pune. The BLO was quite helpful. This relaxation will reduce a lot of anxiety. Every vote counts, and no one should lose their franchise because they are away for work or education. 🇮🇳
M
Michael C
The declaration from government employees about not being duplicate voters is an interesting point. It suggests the ECI is taking the issue of electoral integrity seriously ahead of the state elections.
K
Kavya N
While the relaxation is good, I hope it doesn't create loopholes

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