Overview
- Four additional IAS officers were appointed on January 10 as Special Roll Observers to reinforce West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision, with the Commission saying the aim is to include all eligible voters and exclude ineligible entries.
- Mamata Banerjee’s latest letter to the CEC alleges the exercise prioritises deletion over correction, cites reported distress including 77 deaths, and flags notices to eminent citizens plus hurdles for migrant workers.
- An Assistant Electoral Registration Officer resigned on January 8, attributing “logical discrepancies” to 2002 roll conversion errors and progeny-mapping mismatches, warning of risks to marginal voters.
- BJP leaders defended the process as constitutional and technical, with Sudhanshu Trivedi urging cooperation and Suvendu Adhikari writing to the CEC on January 11 to dismiss the chief minister’s claims as exaggerated and politically motivated.
- ECI figures indicate about 58 lakh deletions with the electorate dropping from 7.66 crore to 7.08 crore; hearings are underway for roughly 1.67 crore entries under scrutiny, and the final roll is scheduled for February 14.