ECI to tighten scrutiny norms in Bengal ahead of voter list deadline

The full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to hold a key virtual meeting with senior electoral officials in West Bengal on Friday, as the state enters a critical phase in the verification of voters’ identity documents.

The meeting, scheduled for 11am, will include the chief electoral officer (CEO), district magistrates and district electoral officers, and comes just a day before the extended deadline for hearings on claims and objections to the draft electoral roll expires on Saturday. The scrutiny of identity documents submitted during these hearings will continue until 21 February.

Sources in the CEO’s office indicated that concerns raised by micro-observers during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will feature prominently on the agenda. Observers have reportedly flagged instances where documents not included in the ECI’s approved list were accepted during hearings.

According to officials, the Commission is expected to reiterate its directive that only 13 specified documents may be treated as valid proof of identity. It may also instruct the state’s CEO to issue show-cause notices to electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) found to have accepted unlisted documents despite repeated advisories.

Another major topic of discussion will be the identification of housing complexes where temporary polling stations are proposed for the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The CEO’s office has drawn up a list of 78 such complexes and forwarded it to the commission’s headquarters in New Delhi for approval.

The number of phases in which the assembly polls will be conducted is also expected to be reviewed. State officials have reportedly recommended a single-phase election, although the final decision will rest with the commission.

The final electoral roll for West Bengal is scheduled to be published on 28 February, bringing the SIR process to a close. The ECI’s full bench is due to visit the state on 1 March for a two-day review of the post-revision situation, after which the schedule for the assembly elections is likely to be announced.

With IANS input