Kolkata, Jan 19 (UNI) The Election Commission’s extended deadline for filing applications and objections to the draft electoral roll in West Bengal will end on Monday, bringing the complaint and claim phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to a close.
The Commission had made it clear at the time of announcing the SIR that voters as well as political parties would be allowed to submit claims and objections after the publication of the draft list.
In West Bengal, December 19 (Monday) was fixed as the final date for submitting such applications. Once this deadline ends, no fresh applications or objections will be accepted until the final electoral roll is published.
The draft voter list was published on December 16, and the Commission began accepting claims and objections from December 17.
During this period, voters applied either to get their names included in the electoral roll or to seek deletion of names by submitting Form-7. Political parties, too, filed applications through their booth-level agents (BLAs).
Initially, the last date for filing claims and objections was January 15. However, the Election Commission later extended the deadline by four days, giving additional time to voters and political parties.
While the period for accepting applications and objections will end on Monday, the hearing process will continue till February 7.
The Commission has earlier stated that voters who are called for hearings can submit the required documents online, if they wish. This facility will remain available to voters till February 7, even after the application window closes.
Official data till Sunday night shows a significant rise in applications for inclusion in the voter list after the publication of the draft roll.
Before the draft list was published, 3,31,075 applications had been received for inclusion of new names. In the one month following the publication of the draft list, another 5,59,053 applications were submitted for inclusion.
In total, 9,12,128 people have applied so far to be added to the voter list. Applications for the deletion of names were also filed within the stipulated period.
Statistics indicate that before the publication of the draft list, 56,867 applications were received seeking deletion of names.
After the draft list was published, 41,847 more such applications were filed. In all, close to one lakh applications for the deletion of names have been submitted to the Commission.
On the political front, the Trinamool Congress has applied for inclusion of the names of 13 voters who were shown as “dead” in the draft electoral roll.
Over the past few days, Trinamool’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has repeatedly raised the issue at public meetings, presenting individuals and claiming they were alive despite being marked as deceased in the draft list.
Following these allegations, the Election Commission has responded on multiple occasions — admitting errors in some cases and in others seeking explanations from the concerned booth level officers (BLOs).
It is believed that the applications filed by Trinamool relate to these 13 “dead” voters. In comparison, the BJP has filed an application for inclusion in only one such case.
In contrast, the highest number of applications seeking deletion of names has come from the BJP. According to Commission sources, the party has sought deletion of 591 names, while Trinamool has filed applications for deletion of only 13 names.
With the deadline ending on Monday, the Commission is set to move to the next phase of hearings before finalising the electoral roll. UNI SAG AAB