LOOKEAST

Prasanta  Paul |

NEVER before has the holding of the West Bengal assembly elections gone through such a period of prolonged uncertainty as it has been passing through now, thanks to an unprecedented presence of millions of bogus (or doubtful) voters in the existing voters’ list, surfaced during the vigorous exercise of SIR (Special Intensive Revision).

■ A hearing under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, in Kolkata, West Bengal, on December 28, 2025. | PTI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) which has already deleted names of more than 58 lakh ‘ghost’ voters from the list, is currently grappling with another 80 lakh ‘questionable’ voters as a result of which conduct of polls in due course of time (read under a care–taker government headed by the Trinamool Congress) is being faced with a big question mark.

Already deleted names of more than 58 lakh ‘ghost’ voters from the list, is currently grappling with another 80 lakh ‘questionable’ voters as a result of which conduct of polls in due course of time, under a care–taker government

The reason is very simple; the Supreme Court chief justice Surya Kant has stipulated that irregularities in submission of documents of these 80 lakh voters need to be resolved and ordered immediate appointment of judicial officers of the state and from neighbouring Odisha and Jharkhand.

Accordingly, the judicial officers have been appointed and their virtual training in two sessions – morning and afternoon – has also been completed.

Now, if each of the judicial officers resolves at least 250 disputes per day in two sessions, it would take at least 80 days to complete the entire exercise following which the final and flaw–less voters’ list could be published.

■ CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The LOOKEAST in its previous report dated February 21 last pointed out that the new assembly in West Bengal has to be formed by an elected government within 7th of May next. If the prevailing imbroglio over publication of the voters’ list continues to persist as per the diligent SIR process and it takes at least 80 more days to come clean of all allegations, then it would not be possible to conduct the polls under the care–taker government.

144 IAS and IPS officers from various states have been drafted by EC to work as Central Observers during the assembly poll and their training has been completed. Some additional officials

Last but not the least, notwithstanding the EC deadline of publication of the final (temporary though!) voters’ list on February 28 next, the visit of the full bench of the Commission from New Delhi slated on March 1 and 2, has been indefinitely postponed. And no date has been announced so far.

So far, 144 IAS and IPS officers from various states have been drafted by EC to work as Central Observers during the assembly poll and their training has been completed. Some additional officials, EC sources said, could also be added after assessing the situation in the wake of the receipt of the ground reports. ■

Prasanta Paul served Deccan Herald as the Chief of Bureau, Calcutta for nearly two decades before switching to work with various TV channels such as Al-Jazeera, CNN, German TV and CBS. Mr. Paul who accompanied former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on his overseas tour of Singapore and other Asian countries, travelled extensively to Bhutan, Sikkim and Darjeeling besides other Northeastern states.