Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Calcutta HC holds the key to whether nearly 45 lakh ‘doubtful electors’ will be able to participate in the Bengal assembly elections – their cases being adjudicated by judicial officers in line with SC’s Feb directives. Of the 60 lakh ‘doubtful elector’ cases, 15 lakh have been adjudicated so far, according to reports. CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said the “learned judges” working as per the HC’s directions will be putting out the supplementary list of names approved for inclusion in the state electoral roll, following which EC will add them back to the final roll. The electors added shall be eligible to vote in the upcoming poll in the state. Praising SIR and calling it a “massive democratic exercise”, Kumar said it has delivered a pure electoral roll, “a bedrock of democracy”, in line with Article 326. An EC official, however, said the rules require the voters’ list to be frozen on the last date of nomination, with additions allowed till 10 days before that, leaving the remaining period for possible appeals. There is a provision for a two-point appeal process against final roll entries, the first point being the district magistrate and the second and final one, the chief electoral officer of the state or UT concerned. This means that the roll may be frozen on March 27 in respect of 152 assembly constituencies of Bengal covered in the first phase of polling on April 23, and on April 1 for 142 seats scheduled to go to polls on April 29.
