SIR hearings to begin on Dec 27 in Bengal; 32 lakh unmapped voters to be covered

Kolkata, Dec 26 (PTI) The hearing phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal will commence on Saturday, with 3,234 hearing centres finalised across the state, a senior official at the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said on Friday.

Around 32 lakh "unmapped" voters, those who are unable to establish linkage with the 2002 electoral roll, will be called for hearings in the first phase, he said.

Voters will be allowed to submit any of 12 recognised documents, including Aadhaar, as proof of identity and address, he elaborated.

However, the Commission has clarified that the Aadhaar card will not be accepted as a standalone document.

"Electoral lists prepared during the recent SIR exercise in Bihar will also be considered valid documents. However, submission of fake or forged documents will be treated as a punishable offence," the official warned.

State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said all preparations for the hearings have been completed.

"The process will be conducted under the supervision of over 4,500 micro-observers, with only authorised officials such as EROs, AROs, BLOs and observers permitted at the hearing centres," the official told PTI.

The poll body said no changes will be permitted once the hearing centres and rules are finalised, adding that the measures aim to ensure transparency and accuracy in the revision process. PTI SCH NN