New Delhi: The West Bengal Assembly elections are just around the corner, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the Election Commission of India (ECI) has created a tremor which can be felt in every corner of the state. The elections will held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, and the results will be declared on May 4.
How many names have been deleted in SIR?
The ECI has frozen the final list, and around 27 lakh names of the 60 lakh names pending are ineligible, and all eyes are now on the tribunal. After the completion of the nomination process for the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, a total of 90,83,345 names have been removed as per the revised voters’ list.
With the release of the district-wise list by the ECI, the voters’ list has now been ‘frozen’, which means that no new name can be added to it before the voting. The math of the purification: The number decreased from 7.66 crore to 6.77 crore.
What is current total now?
According to the ECI’s analysis, there were a total of 76,637,529 voters in Bengal before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process began. Around 63.66 lakh names were removed from the first list released on February 28, while 60,06,675 names were placed in the “adjudication” category.
While clearing those names on Monday, the ECI clarified that 27.16 lakh voters were found ineligible, while 32.68 lakh voters were deemed eligible and reinstated. Currently, the total number of voters in the state stands at 67,720,728.
Which districts have been most impacted by SIR?
The most widespread impact of this massive voter list purge has been seen in border and densely populated districts. The situation is most shocking in Malda where 5.88 lakh out of 8.28 lakh pending cases were disqualified.
In Murshidabad, a region with high Muslim population, a total of over 7.48 lakh names have been removed from the list in the district, including old and new figures. In the North 24 Parganas, a total of over 12.60 lakh names have been removed so far. In North Dinajpur, out of 4.80 lakh cases, 3.02 lakh people did not meet the eligibility criteria. In impact was less in Kolkata, as around 2.49 lakh names were deleted from South Kolkata and 4.47 lakh (total cumulative) from North Kolkata.
Can they appeal to the tribunal?
Yes, they can. A special tribunal has been constituted to hear the complaints or appeals of citizens whose names do not appear in the SIR list. The apex court has ordered this special judicial measure to ensure that no eligible citizen is unnecessarily excluded from the voter list. As per the Supreme Court guidelines, the aggrieved persons will have the opportunity to apply to this tribunal immediately after the publication of the supplementary or additional voter list.