TMC meets Bengal CEO, seeks home hearings for unmapped voters above 60

Kolkata, Dec 30 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to allow voters above 60 years of age to be heard at their residences, instead of calling them to visit SIR assistance camps.

The ruling party of West Bengal made the request at a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal amid reports of elderly and ailing voters facing difficulties during hearings held in camps.

A five-member TMC delegation met Agarwal and sought what it described as “humane and inclusive hearing procedures” for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, alleging that many were being subjected to avoidable physical hardship and distress.

The delegation, in a letter to the CEO, welcomed a recent notification by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer allowing electors aged 85 years or above and those who are sick to be contacted telephonically and verified at their homes.

“We welcome this corrective step and acknowledge your office’s proactive action,” the letter said.

However, the party argued that the same facility should be extended to all senior citizens above 60 years of age.

“Sixty years is the nationally accepted threshold for availing senior citizen concessions under both the central and state government frameworks. There is no constitutional, statutory or logistical rationale for denying the same compassionate standard to all senior citizens above 60 years, especially those living with comorbidities and chronic medical conditions,” the TMC said.

Raising another issue, the party alleged that midway through the SIR exercise, the Election Commission had introduced a new category termed “logical discrepancies”, under which 1.36 crore voters were being summoned for hearings.

“The Commission has failed to publish any official list of electors flagged under this category. Voters remain in the dark about whether their names have been marked, the grounds for their summons and the methodology used,” the letter said.

The TMC also cited “credible reports” that Booth Level Agents (BLA-2s) were being prevented from attending hearings, despite there being no official circular authorising such exclusion.

“If BLA-2s can witness votes being cast, there is no justification for barring them when voters are being questioned, revised or deleted,” it said, asserting that party agents had a statutory right to be present during the hearing process.

The party demanded that the CEO’s office publish the full list of voters flagged under the “logical discrepancies” category, extend doorstep hearings to all senior citizens above 60 years, particularly those with medical vulnerabilities, and issue a written clarification affirming the right of BLA-2s from all political parties to attend hearings.

“The sanctity of the electoral roll is not a bureaucratic formality; it is the foundation of the relationship between citizens and the democratic state,” the letter, signed by TMC MP Partha Bhowmick, ministers Pulak Roy, Shashi Panja and Birbaha Hansda, and MP Bapi Haldar, said, adding that the party expected a time-bound response.

Members of the delegation later addressed a press conference, reiterating their demands. PTI SUS NN