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Bengal Voter List Deadline Chaos: 4 Lakh Voters Face Deletion, Hearing Extension Unclear

The deadline for hearings on West Bengal's draft voters' list has concluded, but the process remains incomplete in about 15 Assembly constituencies. Confusion persists as the state's Chief Electoral Officer has sought a seven-day extension from the Election Commission of India, which has not yet responded. Over 400,000 voters are now identified for deletion from the final list for failing to appear at hearings. The final voters' list is scheduled for publication on February 14, but this could be delayed depending on the ECI's decision regarding the extension.

Key Points: Bengal Voter List Deadline Over, Extension Confusion Remains

  • Hearing deadline passed in 15 Bengal constituencies
  • Over 4 lakh voters identified for deletion
  • Confusion over ECI's extension decision
  • Final list publication scheduled for Feb 14
3 min read

Bengal SIR: Voter list hearing deadline over, confusion continues over extension

Deadline for Bengal voter list hearings passes amid confusion over extension. Over 4 lakh voters face deletion as ECI decision on 15 constituencies pending.

"In case the ECI opts for the second option, there will be a proportionate delay in the publication of the final voters' list - CEO office insider"

Kolkata, Feb 8

With the deadline for hearings regarding claims and objections to the draft voters' list in West Bengal now concluded, and the process still pending in approximately 15 Assembly constituencies across three electoral districts, uncertainty persisted concerning the extension of the deadline in this regard.

Although the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, has sought an extension of seven days in the hearing process, no reply has so far come from the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s headquarters in New Delhi to the CEO's office in Kolkata.

Insiders from the CEO's office pointed out that the continuing confusion stems from two grounds -- the first is what the new deadline for completing the hearing exercise could be. The second point of confusion is whether the extension of the deadline will be limited to the 15 Assembly constituencies where the hearing sessions are scheduled to be completed, or whether the deadline will be extended for the entire state.

"In case the ECI opts for the second option, there will be a proportionate delay in the publication of the final voters' list that is scheduled to be published on February 14," explained an insider from the CEO's office.

The 15 or so Assembly constituencies where the hearing process is yet to be concluded are concentrated mainly in three electoral districts of minority-dominated Malda, coast-bordering South 24 Parganas, and Kolkata (Uttar).

Meanwhile, over 4,00,000 additional voters have already been identified as eligible for deletion from the final voters' list because they failed to turn up for the hearing sessions on claims and objections to the draft voters' list despite being served with subsequent notices for appearance.

Out of these, 4,00,000 voters who are heading for imminent deletion, 50,000 are "unmapped" voters, and around 3,50,000 are "logical discrepancy" cases. Unmapped voters are those who were unable to establish a link with the 2002 voters' list either through "self-mapping" or "progeny mapping". On the other hand, "logical discrepancy" cases are those in which unusual family-tree data were detected during "progeny" mapping.

When the draft voters' list was published in December last year, a total of 58,20,899 voters were deleted after being identified as deceased, shifted, or duplicates. With the publication of the final voters' list on February 14, the final number of deletions will become clear.

After the publication, the full Bench of the ECI will visit West Bengal to assess the situation. The ECI will then announce the polling dates for the Assembly elections.

A crucial hearing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is scheduled at a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Monday. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might again argue the matter before the Bench as she had done on February 4.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As an observer, the process seems incredibly complex. "Unmapped" and "logical discrepancy" cases sound like a massive administrative challenge. The Supreme Court hearing on Monday will be crucial. Hope they can bring some clarity to this situation.
P
Priyanka N
The concentration of pending work in Malda, South 24 Parganas, and North Kolkata is very telling. The election commission must ensure the extension is for the entire state, not just these areas. Partial solutions will only lead to more allegations of bias. 🤔
M
Manoj Q
Deleting 58 lakh names from the draft list is a good step to clean the rolls. But this last-minute confusion over 15 constituencies is worrying. The ECI's silence is puzzling. They should have anticipated these delays and had a contingency plan ready.
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Anjali F
Respectfully, while the cleanup is necessary, the process seems to be causing undue hardship for genuine voters. 50,000 "unmapped" voters? Many could be elderly or from migrant families. The system should be more accommodating, not just punitive. The focus should be on inclusion.
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David E
The technical terms here are fascinating – "progeny mapping," "logical discrepancy." It shows the level of detail attempted. However, if the process isn't completed smoothly and transparently, all this effort will be for nothing. The credibility of the election is at stake.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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