Baranagar Trinamool Congress MLA Sayantika Banerjee has alleged irregularities and “conspiracy” in the SIR (Special Summary Revision) hearing process, expressing strong dissatisfaction over procedural lapses and lack of coordination among Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Sayantika, who visited Baranagar High School and later the Barrackpore Administrative Building, accused officials of failing to provide clear instructions and claimed several elderly voters were struggling to attend hearings. She also criticised the absence of BLOs during hearings, stating that without them, the process cannot proceed smoothly.
Speaking angrily, Sayantika said if there was indeed a conspiracy, then the Election Commission should either list all 19,000 unmapped voters of her constituency or drop their names altogether instead of “harassing” them. She added that BLOs lacked clarity and were acting on alleged verbal instructions, leaving voters confused about timings and procedures.
Meanwhile, SIR hearings began across West Bengal 11 days after the publication of the draft voter list. The Election Commission stated that discrepancies were found in the records of over 1.67 crore voters, including issues like unmapping, spelling errors, incorrect family details and multiple name mappings.
Major discrepancies require physical hearings, while minor ones can be resolved through BLO assistance.
The Commission has said new instructions will be issued to ensure minor corrections do not burden voters. The SIR hearings will continue till February 7, and the final voter list will be published on February 14.
