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ECI Sets Up 160 Local Hearing Centres in Bengal to Enrol Remote, Marginalised Voters

Document-free enrolment for Birhor, Toto, Sabar voters targets exclusion risks before the February 14 roll release.

Overview

  • The Commission approved 160 temporary centres across 12 districts to hold decentralised SIR hearings, with possible additional camps in South 24 Parganas’ coastal belts.
  • District electoral officers have been authorised to include eligible members of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups even if their names were absent from the 2002 voter list.
  • District magistrates and electoral officers have directed block development officers to compile block-wise lists of eligible tribal voters to streamline enrolment.
  • Administrations will issue Scheduled Tribe certificates on an emergency basis for applicants who lack the documents required for enrolment.
  • Relaxed identity checks during hearings extend to sex workers, transgender persons and declared monks, supplemented by on-site visits and recorded evidence where needed.