Kolkata: After the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in Delhi over several issues, including the excessive workload of BLOs and suicides allegedly linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday extended the SIR of elecctoral rolls schedule by one week to February 14 in 12 states, including Bengal.
In a three-page order, the ECI announced an extension of one week for officials to release the draft voter list. According to the revised schedule, the enumeration drive and polling-station rationalisation—earlier expected to wrap up by December 4—will now continue until December 11. The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 16, instead of earlier December 9. The preparation of the control table and the draft roll will run from December 12 to 15. The final voters’ list will be out on February 14 in place of February 7.
Trinamool Congress leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya and Partha Bhowmick during a Press conference on Sunday afternoon said ECI, through the extension of the schedule, admitted that their party’s allegation of “hasty” implementation was right. “ECI extended the SIR schedule. They have admitted what we had demanded was right. We have repeatedly said that it takes 2 years to complete the SIR process. Who will take the responsibilities of more than 40 people who have died in this connection,” asked Bhattacharya and Bhowmick.
Incidentally, a BLO from North 24-Parganas’ Hingalganj Sankar Singh fell ill and he has been admitted to the SSKM Hospital. Family members alleged that he suffered a stroke due to excessive pressure. In a separate incident, an AERO from East Midnapore’s Chandipur Vivekananda Pal fell ill. He was initially taken to Tamralipta Medical College and later transferred to Kolkata.
Trinamool Congress MPs recently met the CEC Gyanesh Kumar and requested him to reschedule the SIR process. They also urged the ECI to plan the SIR exercise more effectively, citing the immense pressure on BLOs tasked with door-to-door enumeration. They had also pointed out how some BLOs in Bengal committed suicide due to “excessive workload”. TMC already accused the ECI of conducting SIR exercise hurriedly at the behest of the BJP-led Centre.
According to the ECI’s Sunday’s order, the period for filing claims and objections has also been aligned with the new dates. Instead of closing on January 8, as originally planned, the window will now remain open until January 15. Verification, hearings and disposal of claims and objections—earlier slated to finish by January 31—will now stretch to February 7, pushing the scrutiny cycle deeper into February.
The TMC has repeatedly raised concerns about the “hasty” implementation of the SIR process. Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee last week publicly voiced “serious concerns” over the SIR and urged the ECI to intervene. Trinamool Congress has claimed that 41 people, including BLOs, have died, some allegedly by suicide, since the SIR process began.
Meanwhile, the Bengal CEO office submitted a proposal to the ECI urging not to call for hearing those whose names were not there in 2002 digital voter list. EROs will have to check if the names of the voters are there in the hardcopy. There is no need to call for hearing those whose names were there in the hardcopy of 2002 electoral rolls and not in the digital list. ERO will collect the hardcopy and 2002 electoral rolls and verify, said the proposal submitted by the CEO office.