Bengal CEO issues guidelines to include vulnerable groups in electoral rolls

Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) The office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer has issued a detailed set of instructions to all district election officers (DEOs) to facilitate the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups in the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a notification said.

According to an official communication on Wednesday, the guidelines were issued following a video conference chaired by senior deputy election commissioner, Election Commission, Gyanesh Bharti, on Tuesday.

The directions are in line with the commission's guiding principle that "no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the electoral rolls".

The advisory specifically focuses on facilitating eligible electors belonging to vulnerable sections such as sex workers, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), ashram inmates and similarly placed persons, who often face difficulties in producing conventional documentary proof during enrolment.

According to the instructions, in cases where such individuals are unable to produce documentary evidence establishing linkage with the electoral rolls of 2002 due to valid or unavoidable reasons, the DEO concerned has been mandated to conduct personal visits to the relevant area, hamlet, habitation or institution.

The DEO is also required to hold a public hearing or enquiry, record statements and collect relevant evidence, it stated.

These proceedings must be formally documented and supported by videography, along with a verified list of eligible persons identified during the enquiry.

The order further states that booth-level agents (BLAs) of the area concerned or polling station must be consulted during the enquiry process.

Their views, objections or confirmations are to be duly recorded as part of the official proceedings.

Based on the outcome of these enquiries, a consolidated and verified list of eligible persons is to be prepared and forwarded to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs).

The EROs and AEROs have been directed to accord due consideration and evidentiary value to these records while adjudicating and disposing of the relevant enumeration forms, strictly in accordance with law.

Additionally, the AEROs and EROs have been instructed to submit a part-wise and Assembly constituency-wise list of all such electors enrolled in the rolls to the DEO concerned and the state chief electoral officer. PTI SCH MNB