The Election Commission of India has made significant progress in cleaning up the electoral roll in Kolkata, resolving the cases of a substantial number of voters through a special hearing process. This drive aims to address multiple discrepancies identified in the voter database.
Massive Outreach and Swift Resolutions
According to Subrata Gupta, the special roll observer for the EC, the commission issued a massive 30.3 lakh hearing notices to voters. Out of these, 20.5 lakh notices successfully reached the intended voters. The hearing process, which commenced on December 27, has already seen a strong public response.
3.3 lakh voters attended their hearings, and their cases were sorted out within a week of the process starting. This indicates a focused effort by the EC to quickly resolve eligibility issues and update records based on direct voter interaction.
Drilling Down into the Data Discrepancy
The scale of the initial challenge was vast. The EC first found a data discrepancy concerning a staggering 1.3 crore (13 million) voters. However, after technical upgrades to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) App and the rectification of minor errors at the EC's end, this number was substantially reduced.
The mismatch now stands at 94.5 lakh (9.45 million) voters. A detailed analysis of this group revealed specific issues:
- Name mismatch was spotted in the records of 51 lakh (5.1 million) voters.
- 4.7 lakh voters were flagged for having an age difference with their parents of less than 15 years.
- 8.4 lakh voters had an age difference with their fathers exceeding 50 years.
Addressing Proof of Identity and Allegations
In a related development, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer has sought clarification from the Election Commission on whether domicile certificates can be accepted as valid proof of identity. These certificates were previously issued by senior state government officials.
The process has also brought some extreme cases to light. At a rally in Baruipur on Friday, Trinamool Congress MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee highlighted instances where three voters were incorrectly declared dead on the rolls. Responding to such allegations, an official stated, "The EC has sought a report from the District Election Officer (DEO) and if a fault is found, action will be initiated against the BLOs."
The ongoing exercise underscores the EC's commitment to ensuring a clean and accurate electoral roll ahead of future polls, using a combination of technology, grassroots-level officer intervention, and direct public hearings to verify and correct data.
