ECI Clarifies Valid Identity Documents for West Bengal Voters’ List Hearings

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has specified that academic qualification certificates from registered education boards, councils, or universities will be accepted as valid identity documents or age proofs during the upcoming hearings on claims and objections to the draft voters’ list in West Bengal. Certificates from individual educational institutions like schools and colleges will not be recognized for this purpose.
These academic qualification certificates are among the 12 documents required by “unmapped voters” to ensure their names remain on the voters’ list. “Unmapped voters” are individuals who cannot establish their connection to the 2002 voters’ list through “self-mapping” or “progeny mapping.”
“Self-mapping” voters are those listed in the 2002 voters’ list, while “progeny mapping” voters are linked to their parents’ names on the same list. The ECI has been cautioned about potential misuse of certificates from individual educational institutions during the hearings, emphasizing the importance of certificates from recognized education boards, councils, or universities.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal began on November 4, with the draft voters’ list released on December 16. The final voters’ list is scheduled for publication on February 14 next year, followed by the announcement of polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections.