West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, has put forward a significant proposal to the Election Commission of India. He wants voters who attend hearings and submit documents for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to receive proper receipts. This move comes just days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee voiced strong complaints about the lack of acknowledgments.
Mamata Banerjee's Concerns Spark Action
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised this issue publicly at a press conference on Tuesday. She also sent a formal letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In her communication, she highlighted a troubling pattern. Many electors were submitting required documents to prove their eligibility during SIR hearings. However, they often did not get any proper receipt or acknowledgment in return.
"Subsequently, at the stage of verification or hearing, these documents are reported as 'not found' or 'not available on record'," Mamata Banerjee explained. She pointed out that based on this, names of voters were getting deleted from the electoral rolls. The Chief Minister called this procedure "fundamentally flawed and untenable."
Depriving Voters of Proof
Mamata Banerjee emphasized that not providing a "documentary acknowledgement" leaves electors without any proof of submission. This situation places them at the mercy of potential internal record-keeping problems. Without a receipt, voters have no way to demonstrate they fulfilled the requirements.
CEO's Proposed Solution
In response to these concerns, CEO Manoj Agarwal has proposed a simple yet effective solution. Currently, voters submit photocopies of their documents to electoral registration officers during hearings. The new proposal suggests that officials should stamp 'received' directly on these photocopies. This stamped copy would then serve as an immediate receipt for the voter.
"We have already made the proposal, let us see what decision will be taken by ECI," Agarwal stated regarding the submission to the Election Commission.
Ongoing Electoral Revision Process
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal is currently in its second phase. This phase covers all 294 Assembly constituencies in the state. The hearings will continue until February 7. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on February 14.
This development highlights ongoing efforts to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process. Providing receipts could help address concerns about document verification and voter inclusion.
