With just three days remaining until the deadline for wrapping up the hearing sessions on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list in West Bengal, approximately 15 lakh voters’ hearings need to be concluded to meet the February 7 deadline for the final voters’ list publication on February 14. The Election Commission of India (ECI) expresses confidence in meeting the deadline based on the current pace of daily hearings.
Operating across 6,500 hearing centers, each center will need to manage about 76 hearings daily over the next three days to ensure completion, as per an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in West Bengal. This task is deemed manageable and not overly challenging.
The hearing sessions are anticipated to finish well ahead of the next hearing on the SIR at the three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on February 9. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to present arguments before the three-judge Bench, as she did previously.
Initiated on December 27 last year, the SIR exercise’s hearing session in West Bengal initially progressed slowly but picked up momentum later due to an increased number of officials at each hearing center and a corresponding rise in the number of hearing centers. Following the final voters’ list publication on February 14, a full Bench of the ECI will visit West Bengal to assess the situation before announcing the crucial Assembly election dates.
The CEO’s office has proposed to the ECI the completion of the election process in a maximum of two phases, contrasting with the seven to eight phases in recent state elections. The elections are anticipated to conclude by late April, with the new state Cabinet likely to be formed by the first week of May.
