West Bengal Seeks Extension for Voter List Hearings, Potentially Delaying Final Electoral Roll
In a significant development affecting millions of voters, West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has formally written to the Election Commission of India, requesting a one-week extension for the ongoing Summary Revision (SIR) hearings and verification process. If approved, this extension would push the deadline from the current Saturday completion date to February 14, with cascading effects on the state's electoral timeline.
Impact on Voters and Political Timeline
The proposed extension means that approximately 1.4 crore voters who have been queuing at hearing centers across Bengal since December 27, along with about 6 lakh voters whose hearings are still pending, will now face an additional two-week wait to confirm their inclusion in the state's final voters' list. This marks the second postponement of hearing deadlines in Bengal, following a previous week-long extension granted by the EC on November 30.
The final publication of the electoral roll, originally scheduled for February 14, will consequently be deferred as well. Agarwal confirmed that after the extended hearing and verification phase, administrative checks must be completed before submission to the Election Commission, which typically requires 3-4 additional days for final publication.
Political Context and Controversy
The SIR hearings have become a flashpoint in Bengal's political landscape, covering approximately one-fifth of the state's total electorate of 7.6 crore voters. The compressed six-week timeline has sparked intense political confrontation between the ruling Trinamool Congress on one side and the Election Commission alongside the BJP on the other.
This conflict reached unprecedented levels when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared before the Supreme Court as "a people's petitioner"—a rare move for a serving chief minister. Banerjee has consistently criticized what she describes as the "haste" of the exercise, alleging that the intense pressure has resulted in several deaths among voters and Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The current timeline stands in stark contrast to the 2002 SIR exercise, which was conducted over a more extensive two-year period.
Administrative Challenges and Progress Report
According to CEO Agarwal, the extension request stems from administrative challenges reported by district electoral officers. "I sent a proposal to the EC in the evening to extend the deadline by seven days after being informed by seven-eight DEOs that some work was still pending in a few places," Agarwal explained.
The pending work includes:
- Incomplete hearings in specific assembly constituencies
- Pending document uploads and verification processes
- Final decisions awaiting action from Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers
Specific areas experiencing delays include one assembly segment in Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency, Kolkata Port assembly constituency under Kolkata South Lok Sabha seat, seven assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas, Noapara in North 24 Parganas, and the Kurseong assembly seats.
Current Status of the SIR Exercise
Despite these challenges, Agarwal provided a detailed progress report indicating substantial completion of the mammoth exercise:
- Only 3%-4% of total hearings remain pending
- 75%-80% of documents from completed hearings have been uploaded
- 70%-80% of uploaded documents have undergone verification
- 25%-30% of cases with verified documents have been disposed of by EROs/AEROs
The chief electoral officer emphasized that different districts are currently at varying stages of the hearing and verification process, necessitating the coordinated extension to ensure comprehensive completion across all regions of West Bengal.
