E-Paper
West Bengal SIR's last supplementary list tonight, EC tells top court: Fate of 8 lakh voters to be revealed
Those whose names do not come in supplementary list will now have to approach tribunals for redressal. Uncertainty remains over that system as voting day nears.
A final supplementary list of all remaining voters under review as part of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal will be published tonight, the Election Commission has told the Supreme Court. The number of such voters remaining under adjudication is around 8 lakh.
Those whose names do not appear in the supplementary list will now have to approach tribunals for redressal. However, uncertainty remains over when the tribunals will begin functioning.
After the EC published its eighth supplementary list on April 3, it said has disposed of around 52 lakh cases under adjudication. Work for the remaining nearly 8 lakh applicants was in progress and was expected to be completed within the next four days, an EC official had said, essentially meaning April 7.
Voting day nears
Over 60 lakh names were under scrutiny after the final draft rolls were published. The adjudication is being carried out by judicial officers in compliance with the Supreme Court directions.
The exercise assumes significance as the first phase of elections in the state is scheduled for April 23, while the last date for filing nominations for the first phase is April 6. The verification process needs to be completed before the rolls are frozen.
Counting day is May 4.
The poll official said the issue of security for judicial officers engaged in the verification process has gained added importance following the incident in Malda's Kaliachak, where they were gheraoed on Wednesday night.
"In view of the incident, adequate steps are being taken to ensure the safety and security of judicial officers deployed for voter verification," a source said.
