Political tensions are ongoing in West Bengal as the state prepares to release the final voter list on February 28 as per Supreme Court directives. The Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, confirmed that the list will be published on time, with special markings for pending cases and deletions. The total voter turnout figure in the state currently stands at around 60,06,675, indicating the extensive nature of the exercise.
To expedite the verification process for voters with discrepancies, the Calcutta High Court has enlisted 200 judicial officers, with 100 each from the Odisha High Court and the Jharkhand High Court. These officers will assist in document scrutiny and adjudication alongside the existing team. This decision was made during a high-level meeting led by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, attended by key officials including Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal and others.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission aims to cleanse the voter list in West Bengal following numerous claims and objections. The Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court have been actively involved in expediting the process, allowing the deployment of additional judicial officers from neighboring states to verify over 8 million claims efficiently. Even if full verification is not completed by February 28, the final roll will still be published on that date, with any pending cases addressed through subsequent supplementary lists.
