About 7.5 lakh cases of judicial adjudication of voters’ documents classified under the “logical discrepancy” category have been completed in West Bengal. The Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, mentioned that 200 more judicial officers from Odisha and Jharkhand will join the process after training over the weekend. This influx is expected to expedite the adjudication process.
Initially, over 60 lakh voter documents were referred for judicial adjudication in West Bengal. The final voters’ list, excluding cases under adjudication, was released on February 28. Any remaining cases will be addressed in a supplementary list as per a previous court directive.
Responding to allegations by the Trinamool Congress about discrepancies in voter status post the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Agarwal urged affected voters to report to the Commission for necessary action. He emphasized investigating any negligence leading to errors in voter listings.
Further developments are anticipated next week, with the Election Commission of India’s full bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, arriving in Kolkata on March 8. They will review the ongoing adjudication process and assess readiness for the upcoming Assembly elections. Additionally, a crucial hearing on the SIR and related adjudication is set at the Supreme Court on March 10.
