Kolkata, Jan 23 (IANS) Amid reports of unlisted identity documents being accepted as authentic ones during the hearing sessions on the claims and objections to the draft voters’ list in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India has directed the special roll observers (SROs) and the micro-observers to report such cases to the ECI daily.

Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) stated that the ECI has also outlined a step-by-step procedure for reporting cases of unlisted documents being cleared as authentic.

In case any micro-observer present at any hearing table does not agree with the decision of the electoral registration officer (ERO) or assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) on the acceptability of any documents, that micro-observer will first register his objections along with explanations in the matter to the ERO or AERO concerned.

Sources said that in cases the EROs and AEROs concerned ignore the valid objections of the micro-observers, the latter should report such matters to the SROs.

The SROs will subsequently examine the objections raised by the micro-observers and flag them with the District Magistrates (DMs) and the District Electoral Officers (DEOs) concerned. At the same time, the SROs will also review the decisions of the DMs as well as the DEOs in such flagged cases, and in case of disagreements, will flag those points of disagreement with the ECI through the CEO’s office.

The ECI has already made it clear that admit cards of Madhyamik examination, the secondary examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), will not be granted as a standalone document of identity proof.

The admit card will be accepted only as a conjoined identity document if submitted along with the pass certificate of the Madhyamik examinations.

CEO’s office insiders also said that there is a possibility that the deadlines for completion of the hearings on claims and objections to the draft voters’ list and the subsequent publication of the final voters’ list might have to be extended.

However, the CEO’s officer insiders were unable to specify the period of extension in the last two steps of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. As of now, the deadline for completion of the hearing sessions is February 7, and the scheduled date of publication of the final voters’ list.

–IANS

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