West Bengal Starts Hearings for 32 Lakh Unmapped Voters Amid Language Concerns
Hearings begin for 32 lakh unmapped voters in West Bengal under Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of West Bengal’s electoral rolls is set to begin on December 27, targeting nearly 32 lakh unmapped voters. These include citizens whose names could not be linked with family members in the 2002 electoral rolls, officials said. Notices are being sent to around 10 lakh voters immediately, with another 22 lakh set to receive theirs from December 24.
To oversee the hearings, 4,000 micro-observers from the state will be trained in two phases starting December 24 in Kolkata. Each hearing will be conducted under the supervision of these micro-observers, who will operate at district magistrate offices, sub-divisional offices, government departments, schools, and colleges.
The hearings aim to ensure that all unmapped voters are properly registered and linked with their family records, helping to clean up and strengthen the accuracy of the electoral rolls. A second phase will follow, addressing voters with logical discrepancies, for which guidelines are being sought from the Election Commission (EC).
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The process has drawn scrutiny from political leaders, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raising concerns about micro-observers’ proficiency in the local Bengali language. Election officials assured that all observers are trained and equipped to handle the hearings effectively.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the Election Commission, including Principal Secretary SB Joshi and Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agarwal, is scheduled to visit West Bengal to review the progress of the SIR hearings and attend the micro-observer training.
Officials emphasized that the SIR exercise is a critical step in ensuring electoral integrity and that the hearings will be conducted in a transparent, methodical manner to accurately map all eligible voters across the state.
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