Deputy EC to reach Kolkata for electoral roll review in Bengal amid govt tussle
Kolkata: Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti is slated to visit Kolkata next week to conduct a final review of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) preparedness for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The special intensive revision in West Bengal, which heads to crucial assembly polls next year, is expected to begin in October.
The deputy election commissioner is likely to hold meetings with senior officials from the CEO’s office and also visit select districts to interact with district magistrates, who serve as the electoral officers there.
The visit comes amidst an ongoing contentious relationship between the poll body and the state government, particularly concerning the SIR exercise.
Earlier this week, the commission rejected the West Bengal government’s request to include Swastha Sathi and ration (PDS) cards among the documents to be accepted for the proposed special intensive revision in the state.
The Swastha Sathi card is linked to the state-run health insurance scheme, for which the government bears the premium, while both it and the ration card are identity documents issued by the state.
Recently, the Supreme Court directed the commission to accept Aadhaar cards as valid identity proof if the Election Commission carries out the special intensive revision.
From the outset, the Chief Minister and the ruling Trinamool Congress have opposed the special intensive revision in West Bengal.
She has argued that the exercise is intended to pave the way for implementing the NRC (National Register of Citizens) and CAA (The Citizenship Amendment Act) in the state.
In contrast, the BJP has claimed that the Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are resisting the revision out of fear that it would lead to the removal of illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators from the rolls.