ECI halts hearings for ‘unmapped’ voters in Bengal, exempts seniors, PWDs and pregnant women

KOLKATA: In a fresh directive, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed district magistrates (DMs), serving as district electoral officers (DEOs) for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, not to issue notices for hearings to voters identified as ‘unmapped’.The ECI has also exempted voters aged 85 or above, as well as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and pregnant women, from appearing at hearing centres.West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (WBCEO) Manoj Agarwal said, “People who are 85 years or older, PWDs, and pregnant women of any age who have been served notices by the Commission need not come for hearings. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will contact them at their doorsteps to verify the documents required to include their names in the electoral rolls.”Over 32 lakh voters who could not trace themselves, their parents, or grandparents in the electoral rolls during the last SIR in 2002 in Bengal had been asked to appear at hearings which began on 27 December. The ECI has paused hearings only for voters not found by its central software system but who were listed in the hard copies of the 2002 electoral rolls. This pause does not apply to ‘unmapped’ cases flagged by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) after on-ground verification.



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