The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal has moved into its second phase after completing the enumeration stage. Starting Saturday, the focus will shift to hearings on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list released on December 16. Each hearing table will be overseen by an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) with support from an Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO).
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed 4,600 micro-observers, comprising central government and public sector employees, to supervise the hearing sessions. The EROs are tasked with resolving 150 cases daily as per the Commission’s directives.
During the initial phase of hearings, attention will be on approximately 30 lakh “unmapped” voters not linked to the 2002 voter list through self or progeny mapping. Subsequently, around 1.36 crore doubtful cases with irregular family-tree data identified during progeny mapping will be addressed.
Instances of concern include voters aged 45 or above absent from the 2002 registry, individuals becoming parents at 15 or younger, and those becoming grandparents at 40 or younger. The Commission has implemented measures to prevent the acceptance of forged identity documents during the sessions, holding EROs and district officials accountable.
The final voters’ list is scheduled for release on February 14 next year, following the publication of the draft list on December 16. Subsequently, the Election Commission will unveil the polling dates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.
