National News
West Bengal : SIR Hearings Begin in West Bengal; 32 Lakh ‘Unmapped’ Voters to Be Verified
Hearings under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls began in West Bengal, with 32 lakh unmapped voters being covered in the first phase under strict Election Commission supervision.
Hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls commenced in West Bengal on Saturday, with large numbers of people queuing up at 3,234 hearing centres across the state, a senior official said.
In the first phase, around 32 lakh “unmapped” voters — those unable to establish linkage with the 2002 electoral roll — will be called for hearings. To oversee the process, the Election Commission has deployed about 4,500 micro-observers across the state. The hearings began at 11 am.
According to an Election Commission official, voters may submit any of 12 recognised documents, including Aadhaar, as proof of identity and address. However, Aadhaar will not be accepted as a standalone document.
Voters aged 85 years and above will not be required to visit the hearing centres physically, as Election Commission officials will conduct the verification process at their residences.
“The hearings are being conducted under strict supervision, with only authorised officials such as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant EROs, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and observers allowed at the centres. People are turning up in large numbers at each camp,” the official from the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said.
No changes have been permitted to the hearing centres after finalisation, a measure aimed at ensuring transparency and accuracy in the revision process.
On December 16, the Election Commission had published the draft electoral rolls for the state following the SIR exercise, during which the names of over 58 lakh voters were deleted on various grounds, including death, migration and non-submission of enumeration forms.
