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EC tells West Bengal authorities to quickly clear objections, claims filed under Form 7 of SIR exercise
The Election Commission has directed West Bengal authorities to expedite the processing of Form 7 objections related to voter list revisions. This directive follows reports of alleged record burning and concerns over the misuse of Form 7 by political parties for electoral gains. The commission emphasized strict adherence to statutory frameworks and timelines for resolving all claims and objections.
Kolkata: The Election Commission on Monday directed West Bengal authorities to ensure speedy disposal of claims and objections filed under Form 7 of the SIR exercise, a senior poll official said.
The commission reiterated that the revised Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule had already been communicated to the state chief electoral officer's office on February 10.
Form 7 applications were issued by the EC to voters whose names did not figure in the draft rolls to file objections, including deletion of their own names due to change of address and deletion of names of others due to death or shifting.
"The commission has directed the chief electoral officer that all objections received till date in the offices of the CEO and District Election Officers (DEOs) must be forwarded to the respective Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) by February 16," the letter stated.
The direction cited reports regarding alleged burning of records of Form 7 objections, an issue of which the commission said it had taken cognisance.
There have been allegations that Form 7 was being used by certain political parties to delete names of genuine voters for electoral gains by uploading incorrect data.
Questions were also raised over the actual number of unmapped voters in representations submitted by parties to the CEO's office and the Election Commission in Delhi, the official said.
The notice to the CEO, West Bengal, comes against this backdrop, though neither the commission nor the CEO's office referred to these developments in the communication.
"The EROs and AEROs have been instructed to dispose of all such Form 7 objections -- whether received directly in their offices or forwarded from the offices of the CEO and DEOs -- strictly in accordance with the statutory schemes," the poll official said.
In the letter to the CEO's office issued by EC secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra, the commission emphasised that disposal of all claims and objections must be ensured within the prescribed framework and timeline.
The letter also directed the CEO's office to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's February 9 order as well as the SIR instructions dated October 27, 2025.
The apex court on February 9 told Election Commission that the time for objections could be extended by a week from February 14 and directed speedy disposal and resolution of the objections.
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Source: EconomicTimes
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