The Election Commission of India (ECI) has expressed mixed reactions to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. While pleased with the progress of the hearing sessions, the Commission has raised serious concerns about the sluggish uploading of supporting identity documents by voters participating in the hearings. Out of 1.62 crore voters summoned for hearings, only around 59 lakh voters’ documents have been uploaded so far.
The slow pace of document uploading has cast doubts on meeting the February 14 deadline for the final electoral roll publication. Officials attribute this delay to the repeated violation of ECI guidelines by some electoral officers in the state, who are not adhering to the prescribed identity-proof document list. A full bench of the Commission is currently in a virtual meeting to address the lapses in the revision exercise that could potentially disrupt the scheduled process.
During the ongoing meeting, the ECI is expected to issue a strict directive on the acceptance of unlisted documents by electoral officers. The Commission has cautioned that electoral officers found guilty of accepting or uploading unauthorized documents will face severe disciplinary action. Special roll observers have identified instances of deliberate violations and the officials responsible for such lapses.
