Kolkata, February 5: The deadline for addressing claims and objections regarding the draft voter list in West Bengal is just three days away.
According to the schedule, nearly 1.5 million voter hearings must be completed within these three days. The hearing deadline is set for February 7, with the final voter list to be published on February 14.
Given the current trends in daily hearings, the Election Commission of India is confident that the deadline will be met. A source from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal stated, “Currently, 6,500 hearing centers are operational, where this process is underway. This means that each center must complete its hearings daily over the next three days. It is not a difficult task at all.”
This also indicates that the work will be completed before the next hearing on the SIR before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on February 9.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also expected to present her case before the three-judge bench, as she did on Wednesday.
The hearings for the SIR process in West Bengal began on December 27 last year. Initially, the process was slow. However, it accelerated later due to an increase in the number of officials at each hearing center and the establishment of new centers.
After the final voter list is released on February 14, the full bench of the ECI will visit West Bengal to assess the situation. Shortly thereafter, the commission will announce important dates for the upcoming assembly elections.
The Chief Electoral Officer’s office has already suggested to the ECI that the election process in the state be conducted in two phases instead of the seven to eight phases seen in previous elections. It is expected that the elections will be completed by the end of April, with the new state cabinet formed by the first week of May.
