As the February 28 Supreme Court deadline looms, West Bengal’s voter list revision under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is making headlines. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal confirmed the final list’s release on schedule, introducing two key features to flag contentious entries.
“It will mirror regular lists but add ‘Under Judicial Review’ for court-pending cases and ‘Deleted’ for struck-off names,” Agarwal explained. This affects around 6 million voters across the state, fueling accusations of manipulation from rival camps.
The Calcutta High Court escalated efforts by seeking 200 judges from neighboring Odisha and Jharkhand to scrutinize documents in the ‘logical discrepancy’ category. Chief Justice Sujoy Paul’s meeting included top bureaucrats and police brass, underscoring the operation’s scale.
This purge targets anomalies in voter rolls, with lakhs of claims processed amid court oversight. The Supreme Court greenlit the external judicial aid and outlined contingency plans: publish the main list first, then supplements. Mamata Banerjee’s intervention failed, while BJP champions the move as a crackdown on fraudulent voters ahead of polls.
Political stakes are high, with both sides alleging bias. The markers aim to clarify disputed names, potentially reshaping electoral dynamics in this key battleground state.