EC: West Bengal Final Voters’ List Out on Feb 28

Kolkata: The Election Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday that the final voters' list after the special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal would be published on February 28, extending the previous deadline, February 14, by two weeks.

The EC also conveyed its decision to Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal Manoj Agarwal and state chief secretary Nandini Chakravorty in a communication, containing a revised SIR schedule.

It came a day after the Supreme Court ordered the extension of deadline by a week for the scrutiny of claims and objections in the SIR of the voters' list after hearing a petition filed and argued by Trinamul Congress supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the matter.

According to the EC communication which underlined Monday's SC order, the last date of the SIR hearing would be held on February 14 instead of February 7 while the scrutiny of documents and disposal would have to be completed by February 21.

It added that the rationalisation of polling stations will be done by February 25 and checking of health parameters by February 27. The extension has cast a spell of relief in the ruling party which was alleging paucity of time for a mammoth exercise though it did not react.

A TMC leader indicated that the party would examine the final voters' list, once it is out, to check if any genuine elector’s name has still been dropped.

The extension of the SIR process has however fuelled a speculation in the political circle of Assembly Election announcement in the state in the first week of March. Sources claimed that the poll bugle would be sounded on March 2.