The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a major drive to clean up the electoral rolls in Kolkata, targeting nearly 94.5 lakh voters whose records contain what are termed 'logical discrepancies'. Starting from Thursday, these electors will begin receiving official hearing notices delivered to their homes by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
What Are 'Logical Discrepancies' in Voter Rolls?
The process follows a recent waiver granted by the EC to over 41.5 lakh voters with minor errors. Initially, when the draft list for Summary Revision (SIR) was published, a staggering 1.3 crore voters fell into the 'logical discrepancies' category. The waiver significantly reduced this number to the current 94.5 lakh.
Logical flaws encompass a range of data mismatches found during enumeration. These include inconsistencies in the date of birth, variations in the spelling of names, omission of middle names, gender discrepancies, and illogical age differences when compared with parents or grandparents (progeny mapping).
The Hearing Process and BLOs' Role
While hearings for unmapped voters are already in progress, the EC had not previously announced specific dates for those with logical flaws. Officials indicated that hearings for this larger group were likely to begin in the coming week, possibly on January 12 or 13.
An EC official explained the procedure: "From Thursday onwards, the BLOs will receive the hard copies of the hearing notices, which they will have to deliver to their houses. The list of these electors was shared with the BLOs on their app. Those who have more such electors will get the notices in phases."
A BLO from Maniktala, responsible for about 150 such cases, confirmed the update. "The names of the electors who have 'logical discrepancies' were updated on the BLO App. My ERO informed me that a hard copy of the notice will be sent from Thursday itself," the officer stated.
During the hearings, affected electors will be required to furnish relevant documents to rectify the flaws in their records.
Distinction Between Minor and Major Errors
The EC has drawn a clear line between minor and major discrepancies. A BLO from the Tollygunge area clarified, "As per the EC's instruction, the minor discrepancies will be sorted out without a hearing, as some of these errors happened while uploading enumeration data on the app in a hurry. I have around 100 voters with major discrepancies, and they will be called for the hearing."
In a related development, several BLOs have already begun revisiting elderly voters. Many had served hearing notices to electors aged above 85 years before an EC circular on December 29 mandated that hearings for such voters be conducted at their homes. A BLO from Garfa said, "Now I am visiting the houses of elderly voters again and informing them that the commission will send officials to their houses for hearing."
This large-scale verification drive underscores the EC's commitment to ensuring accurate and reliable voter lists ahead of future elections, aiming to bolster the integrity of the electoral process in West Bengal.
