Final electoral roll to be published on 28 Feb after timeline extension

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced that the final electoral roll for West Bengal under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise will be published on 28 February.

The revised schedule was notified after a meeting between Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal and senior officials of the commission at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi.

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The announcement follows a directive from the Supreme Court on Monday, extending the SIR timeline in the state by seven days to facilitate scrutiny of claims and objections.

Taking note of the apex court’s order, the commission had indicated earlier that the publication of the final voters’ list would be deferred.

The formal notification confirming the new date was issued on Tuesday.

According to officials, the Supreme Court allowed additional time to ensure that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) are able to complete document verification and take final decisions in a fair and thorough manner.

The court clarified that micro-observers will not have any authority to take decisions related to scrutiny, and that the final responsibility will rest solely with the EROs.

Commission sources said that with the seven-day extension granted for scrutiny, the hearing process related to claims and objections will now conclude on 14 February.

This will be followed by a seven-day scrutiny period, which will continue till 21 February.

Officials said the extended timeline would help election machinery at the ground level complete the exercise without procedural lapses.

With the new schedule now in place, the ECI said all stakeholders have been informed and preparations will continue in accordance with the revised deadlines, culminating in the publication of the final electoral roll, on 28 February.