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Bengal Voter Roll Revision: ECI Satisfied with Hearings, Worried Over Document Uploads

The Election Commission of India has expressed satisfaction with the progress of hearings in West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, covering most of the 1.62 crore summoned voters. However, it is deeply concerned about the slow uploading of supporting identity documents, with only 59 lakh processed so far. This delay jeopardizes the February 14 deadline for publishing the final electoral roll. The ECI attributes the bottleneck to electoral officers repeatedly violating guidelines by accepting unlisted documents, prompting a marathon meeting to address the lapses and warn of stringent action.

Key Points: ECI Concerned Over Slow Document Uploads in Bengal Voter Roll Revision

  • Hearing process completed for 1.42 crore voters
  • Only 59 lakh supporting documents uploaded so far
  • ECI cites violation of document guidelines as key reason
  • Full bench holds marathon meeting to address lapses
  • Officials face ultimatum and disciplinary action
2 min read

Bengal SIR: ECI satisfied with hearing progress, concerned over slow document uploads

ECI reviews Bengal's voter roll revision, pleased with hearing progress but flags slow document uploads threatening the Feb 14 deadline for final list.

"The slow pace of uploading had raised apprehensions about whether the scheduled February 14 deadline... can be met - CEO Office Official"

Kolkata, Jan 30

The Election Commission of India has expressed mixed reactions to the current phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, particularly the hearings on claims and objections to the draft voters' list.

While the Commission is happy with the progress of the hearing sessions, it has raised serious concerns over the slow uploading of supporting identity documents submitted by voters who appeared for the hearings.

Of the 1.62 crore voters summoned for hearing, including "unmapped voters" and "logical discrepancy" cases, the hearing process had been completed for around 1.42 crore voters. However, only 59 lakh voters' documents have been uploaded so far, according to an official from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.

This slow pace of uploading had raised apprehensions about whether the scheduled February 14 deadline for publication of the final electoral roll can be met, ot it will have to be extended.

Officials in CEO office said one of the main reasons behind the slow pace of document uploading is the repeated violation of the ECI's guideline to accept and upload only the listed identity-proof documents by a section of the electoral officers in the state, especially the electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), and booth-level officers (BLOs).

The full bench of the Commission is holding a marathon virtual meeting on Friday with the top officials from the CEO's office and the Commission-appointed special roll observers to identify the lapses in conducting the revision exercise that might delay the scheduled process. The meeting started at 11:30 a.m. and is expected to continue for several hours.

Sources said that during the course of the meeting, the ECI is expected to give an ultimatum on accepting unlisted documents by electoral officers.

The ECI has already warned that EROs, AEROs, and BLOs found guilty of deliberate violations in accepting or uploading unapproved documents will face stringent disciplinary action.

Special roll observers have reportedly flagged several instances of such deliberate lapses and identified the officials involved.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
As a resident of Kolkata, I know how important this revision is. But the slow uploads are worrying. Many people, especially the elderly, took the trouble to attend hearings. Their effort shouldn't go to waste because of administrative delays. Hope the ECI meeting sorts this out quickly! 🙏
S
Suresh O
The numbers are telling. 1.42 crore hearings done but only 59 lakh documents uploaded? That's a huge gap. It seems like a systemic failure at the ground level. The officers accepting unlisted documents are creating more problems than they solve. Strict action is the only way.
A
Ananya R
While I support a thorough revision, I hope the ECI also considers the practical challenges. In many rural areas of Bengal, people might not have the 'listed' documents readily available. The process should be inclusive while maintaining integrity. A little flexibility with proper verification could help.
M
Michael C
Watching from abroad, it's impressive to see the scale of this exercise. 1.62 crore voters is massive. The delay is unfortunate, but the transparency in reporting these issues is a good sign for Indian democracy. Hope they meet the Feb 14 deadline!
K
Kavya N
Why are officers accepting unlisted documents? It just creates backlog and confusion. The guidelines are there for a reason. This ultimatum from ECI is necessary. Every vote counts, and the roll must be perfect before the next election. No excuses please.

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