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Bengal Voter List Purge: 5 Lakh Names Identified for Deletion After Hearings

The hearing phase for West Bengal's draft voters' list has concluded, identifying an additional 4.98 lakh voters for deletion after they failed to attend sessions despite notices. This adds to the over 58 lakh names already excluded during the initial enumeration phase for being deceased, duplicate, or shifted. The final voters' list will be published on February 28, after which the Election Commission will visit the state to review the situation. The schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections, which the state CEO has recommended be held in a single phase, is expected to be announced following this review.

Key Points: Bengal Voter List: 5 Lakh Names for Deletion, Final List Feb 28

  • 4.98 lakh voters skipped hearings
  • Over 58 lakh already excluded in draft
  • Final list publication on February 28
  • ECI to visit Bengal for poll review
3 min read

Bengal SIR hearings end; 4.98 lakh more voters identified for deletion

West Bengal's voter list hearing ends with 4.98 lakh more voters identified for deletion. Final list due Feb 28 ahead of crucial Assembly elections.

"The final picture will be clear after the publication of the final voters' list on February 28 - CEO's office source"

Kolkata, Feb 14

The hearing phase on claims and objections to the draft voters' list in West Bengal concluded on Saturday evening, with 4.98 lakh additional names identified as eligible for deletion from the final voters' list.

These 4.98 lakh voters are those who abstained from attending the hearing sessions despite repeated notices being served to them and have therefore been found eligible for exclusion from the final voters' list.

The number of such voters who had abstained from the hearing sessions stood at 6.25 lakh till Friday evening.

"However, on the last day of the hearing, over 1,00,000 voters attended the sessions, reducing the figure to 4.98 lakh on Saturday evening," said a source in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.

Earlier, during the enumeration phase, names of more than 58 lakh voters -- including deceased, duplicate and shifted voters -- were found ineligible and were excluded from the draft voters' list published in December last year.

The additional 4.98 lakh names identified during the hearing phase will now be added to that number.

However, the final figure of deleted names will be clear only after the publication of the final voters' list on February 28.

"The scrutiny of supporting identity documents submitted by voters who attended the hearings will continue till February 21. During this process, names of voters who submitted invalid or unverified identity documents may also be excluded. The final picture will be clear after the publication of the final voters' list on February 28," the CEO's office source said.

It is learnt that the highest number of voters who abstained from appearing at the hearing sessions was in North 24 Parganas district, at around 1.38 lakh, followed by South 24 Parganas with about 46,000 and Kolkata (Dakshin) electoral district with around 22,000.

The lowest number of absentees was reported from Kalimpong district, at just 440.

A day after the publication of the final voters' list on February 28, a full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) will visit West Bengal for two days to review the post-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) situation, following which the schedule for the crucial Assembly elections due later this year is expected to be announced.

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal has already recommended to the ECI that the Assembly elections be conducted in a single phase. However, the final decision will be taken by the Commission.

In recent elections, polling in West Bengal was conducted in multiple phases, typically ranging from seven to eight phases.

The last time Assembly elections in West Bengal were held in a single phase was in 2001.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
North 24 Parganas with 1.38 lakh absentees is very concerning. Are people not getting the notices, or are they simply ignoring them? The EC needs to ensure communication reaches everyone, especially in rural areas. A clean voter list is the foundation of a fair election.
R
Rohit P
Good step by the Election Commission. Removing duplicate, shifted, and deceased voters is crucial. But I hope this process is transparent and not used to target any particular community or area. The final list on Feb 28 will tell the real story. 🤞
S
Sarah B
As an observer, I find the scale fascinating. Over 1 lakh people showed up on the last day – classic Indian deadline rush! Jokes aside, a single-phase election would be a welcome change if it can be managed securely. Bengal's elections are always a spectacle.
M
Meera T
Respectfully, while cleaning the list is necessary, the process seems to place a lot of burden on the voter. Not everyone can take time off for hearings. Could there be a simpler online method for verification? We need to make democracy more accessible, not less.
V
Vikram M
The CEO recommending a single-phase election is interesting. It would be a massive logistical challenge but could reduce the prolonged period of tension. 2001 was the last time! Let's see what the ECI decides. Bengal is in for a crucial poll.

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