Kolkata, February 8: The deadline for hearing claims and objections related to the Special Inquiry Report (SIR) in West Bengal has expired. However, the situation remains unclear in several areas due to incomplete processes. Hearings are still pending for approximately 15 assembly seats across three electoral districts, leaving uncertainty about extending the deadline.
Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, has requested an additional seven days to complete the hearing process. However, the CEO’s office in Kolkata has yet to receive any response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi regarding this request.
Sources from the CEO’s office indicate that confusion arises from two main issues. First, if the deadline is extended, what will the new final date be? Second, will this extension apply only to the 15 assembly constituencies where hearings are incomplete, or will it be statewide?
If the Election Commission decides to extend the deadline for the entire state, it will also delay the publication of the final voter list, scheduled for release on February 14.
The 15 assembly constituencies with pending hearings are primarily located in three electoral districts, including the minority-dominated Malda, coastal and border South 24 Parganas, and North Kolkata.
In a significant development, over 400,000 additional voters have been identified as potential removals from the final voter list. These voters failed to appear despite repeated notices during the claims and objections hearings.
Among the 400,000 potentially removable voters, approximately 50,000 are classified as ‘unmapped,’ while about 350,000 cases involve ‘logical discrepancies.’ Unmapped voters are those who could not prove their connection to the 2002 voter list, either through personal documentation or lineage mapping. Logical discrepancies indicate unusual errors found in family details during lineage mapping.
When the draft voter list was released last December, 5,820,899 voters were removed, marked as deceased, relocated, or duplicates. The exact number of removals will be clarified after the final list is published on February 14.
Following the release of the final voter list, a full bench of the Election Commission will visit West Bengal to assess the situation. Subsequently, dates for the assembly elections will be announced.
Additionally, a crucial case related to the SIR is scheduled for hearing before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Monday. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to present her arguments on this issue, similar to her appearance on February 4.