Kolkata: The Election Commission (EC) has assured citizens that there is no need to panic if a voter’s name is missing from the 2002 electoral roll.
The clarification comes amid apprehensions during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began across Bengal on Tuesday.
As of 8 pm on Wednesday, more than 1.10 crore enumeration forms had been distributed statewide.
A senior Election Commission official explained that the absence of a name from the 2002 roll will not automatically lead to deletion from the current voter list. “After Booth Level Officers (BLOs) distribute enumeration forms, voters should fill them up and submit them as instructed. They must not fill columns B and C and no documents need to be attached at this stage,” the official said.
Once submitted, the voter’s name will be provisionally included in the draft electoral roll, to be published on December 9. Thereafter, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO will issue a notice for a hearing, giving the applicant seven days to appear. During the hearing, the voter must produce proof linking their name to any voter list prior to 2002, along with one officially accepted ID document.
“The primary objective of SIR is to ensure that no legitimate Indian voter is excluded from the rolls, while also verifying that no foreign nationals are erroneously included. This is not an exclusion exercise but a corrective one — meant to keep the rolls accurate, inclusive and lawful,” the EC official clarified. The Commission further stated that voters missing from the 2002 roll but listed in earlier ones will have the opportunity during hearings to establish citizenship and eligibility.
Among those who received forms on Wednesday were TMC MP Saugata Roy (Rashbehari constituency), MLA Madan Mitra (Bhowanipore), and IAS officer Sharad Dwivedi, along with several senior officials at Ballygunge’s Ironside Road.