ElectoralRoll – West Bengal Voter List Publication Delayed Until Late February
ElectoralRoll – The final electoral roll for West Bengal will not be released before February 21, with election authorities aiming to complete the process by the end of the month, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal confirmed on Monday.
Supreme Court Extends Scrutiny Deadline
The timeline for publishing the updated voter list has been affected by a recent order from the Supreme Court. Earlier this week, the apex court granted an additional week beyond February 14 for examining documents submitted during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll. The extension is expected to provide sufficient time for officials to carefully assess the paperwork filed by individuals whose names were subject to verification.
According to Agarwal, the additional time is necessary to allow Electoral Registration Officers to thoroughly review each case before taking a final decision. As a result, the publication of the final electoral roll will not take place before February 21. Authorities are working toward completing the exercise by February 28.
Progress of the Revision Exercise
Providing details about the scale of the operation, Agarwal said hearings have already been completed in approximately 1.39 crore cases. Meanwhile, supporting documents have been uploaded in nearly 1.06 crore instances as part of the verification drive.
The Special Intensive Revision process is designed to ensure that the electoral roll remains accurate and up to date. It includes scrutiny of existing entries as well as consideration of claims and objections from voters. Officials maintain that each submission is being examined carefully to avoid errors in the final publication.
The CEO emphasized that the review process is being carried out in accordance with established procedures and under judicial oversight, ensuring fairness and transparency.
Deployment of Officers for Election Duties
In preparation for upcoming election-related responsibilities, the state government has provided a list of 8,505 Group-B officers who will be assigned to assist with the process. These officers are expected to join from Tuesday.
Agarwal said the newly appointed micro-observers will undergo two days of training before beginning their assignments. Following the training sessions, they will receive their official login credentials within five to seven days, enabling them to carry out their designated tasks.
The deployment of trained officers is seen as a key step in strengthening administrative preparedness ahead of the publication of the revised voter list and subsequent electoral activities.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism Explained
The Chief Electoral Officer also outlined the procedure available to voters who may find discrepancies in the final list. Once the updated electoral roll is published, individuals whose names do not appear can submit an application to the District Election Officer within five days.
If the District Election Officer does not resolve the matter within the prescribed time, the applicant has the option to escalate the issue to the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer within the following five days.
Officials said this structured grievance mechanism is intended to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded and that any omissions are addressed promptly.
With the scrutiny process nearing completion and additional administrative staff being deployed, election authorities in West Bengal are working to meet the revised deadline while maintaining accuracy in the electoral roll.