EC harassing voters by calling them for SIR hearings over minor discrepancies, alleges TMC

Kolkata, Dec 23 (PTI) West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission was harassing voters by summoning them for SIR hearings over minor discrepancies following the publication of the draft electoral rolls.

A five-member delegation of the party, comprising state ministers Chandrima Bhattacharya, Shashi Panja and Pulak Roy, and MPs Partha Bhowmik and Bapi Haldar, met Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal and raised their objections.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bhattacharya said there was no justification for calling voters over "clerical issues" such as spelling mistakes or differences between English and Bengali versions of names.

She said the party also objected to documents being sought despite earlier assurances that voter mapping could be done using details of six immediate relatives.

She alleged that inconsistent statements by the EC were creating panic among voters and sending the wrong message.

Additionally, the TMC demanded that Aadhaar be recognised as the twelfth valid document for electoral verification.

"During the SIR in Bihar, the Supreme Court had directed that Aadhaar be accepted. But the Election Commission is not mentioning this anywhere. They say Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship. We say that none of the documents listed by the EC is proof of citizenship either. Moreover, the SC has clearly stated that the EC cannot confer citizenship," Bhattacharya said.

The TMC also pressed for hearings to be conducted at local government offices instead of distant block or district magistrate offices.

"Hold hearings at the gram panchayat or municipal offices. Conduct the process ward by ward and issue clear guidelines. Otherwise, people are getting confused. Travelling long distances would cause inconvenience and financial burden, especially for poor voters," Bhattacharya said. PTI SCH SOM