Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien has approached the Supreme Court, alleging procedural irregularities by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. O’Brien has requested an extension of the January 15 deadline for filing claims and objections, citing difficulties faced by eligible voters due to deletions from the draft roll without notice or hearing.
The application highlighted a significant decrease in the electorate from 7.66 crore voters to 7.08 crore, attributing it to backend deletions without proper involvement of Electoral Registration Officers. O’Brien expressed concerns over the ECI’s informal communication methods, such as WhatsApp messages, which he claimed have replaced formal statutory procedures.
Serious allegations were made regarding the ECI’s use of informal channels for issuing instructions, leading to confusion and a lack of accountability. O’Brien criticized the introduction of a new category, “logical discrepancies,” affecting over 1.3 crore voters without clear guidelines or statutory basis, particularly impacting women voters and minorities.
The plea emphasized the challenges faced by vulnerable groups like senior citizens and persons with disabilities due to the requirement of physical hearings. O’Brien urged for an extension of the deadline for filing claims and objections, cessation of informal instructions, removal of the “logical discrepancy” category, and restoration of the statutory role of EROs.
