The deadline for hearings on claims and objections to the draft voters’ list in West Bengal has passed, but uncertainty looms as the process remains pending in about 15 Assembly constituencies across three electoral districts. The Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, has requested a seven-day extension for the hearing process, yet there has been no response from the Election Commission of India in New Delhi.
Insiders from the CEO’s office highlighted the confusion surrounding the possible extension, focusing on the uncertainty of the new deadline and whether it will apply only to the 15 Assembly constituencies or the entire state. If the extension covers the entire state, there will be a delay in publishing the final voters’ list scheduled for February 14.
The constituencies where the hearing process is incomplete are mainly in minority-dominated Malda, South 24 Parganas, and Kolkata (Uttar). Additionally, over 400,000 voters face deletion from the final list for not attending the hearing sessions despite receiving notices. Among these voters, 50,000 are categorized as “unmapped” and 350,000 as “logical discrepancy” cases.
When the final voters’ list is released, the total number of deletions will be known, following the removal of 58,20,899 voters identified as deceased, shifted, or duplicates from the draft list. The ECI will conduct a full assessment in West Bengal post-publication to determine the polling dates for the Assembly elections.
A crucial hearing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is set at a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expected to present her case, as she did on February 4.
