West Bengal Migrant Workers and Students Exempt from In-Person Hearing for Voter Discrepancies

Election Commission Eases Hearing Requirements

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that migrant workers from West Bengal living in other states and students studying outside the state will not be required to attend hearing sessions in person regarding their voter status. This decision pertains to those identified as having 'logical discrepancies' during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Family members of these voters can represent them at the hearing centers and submit necessary documents to address the ECI's concerns, as confirmed by a source from the Chief Electoral Officer's office.

This leniency comes in light of the significant number of migrant workers and students from West Bengal, making it impractical for many to attend in person.

Booth-level officers (BLOs) will visit voters' homes to deliver notices and explain the reasons behind the identification of their names as 'logical discrepancies' during the 'progeny mapping' process.

Additionally, the ECI has requested a declaration from state government employees to confirm they are not registered as duplicate voters in multiple locations.

The hearing process for 'unmapped' voters has already concluded, and the ECI has begun issuing notices to those categorized as 'logical discrepancies' from the draft voters' list published on December 16 of the previous year.

Currently, over 30 lakh 'unmapped' voters in West Bengal have completed their hearing process, while approximately 92 lakh voters have been flagged as 'logical discrepancies'.

Hearings for these cases are set to commence on January 13, with the final voters' list expected to be published on February 14, necessitating the completion of hearings within a month.

Following the draft voters' list publication, a full bench of the ECI will visit Kolkata to assess the situation, after which polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections will be announced.