Will Bengal SIR Meet the Scrutiny Deadline with 114,000 Voter Documents Pending?
Synopsis
As the scrutiny deadline looms in West Bengal, the pending upload of over 114,000 voter documents raises concerns about timely elections. Will the electoral authorities manage to meet the February 21 deadline, or will they seek an extension?
Key Takeaways
Deadline approaching: Scrutiny deadline is on February 21.
Pending uploads: Over 114,000 documents remain unuploaded.
Electoral concerns: Potential extension of scrutiny deadline.
Voter exclusions: 35,000 voters identified with fraudulent documents.
Final list publication: Set for February 28.
Kolkata, Feb 18 (NationPress) With just four days remaining for the examination of the identity documents submitted by voters during the hearing sessions for claims and objections to the draft voters' list in West Bengal, over 1,14,000 documents have yet to be uploaded for final review.
According to sources at the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, as of Tuesday night, 1,14,772 documents are still pending upload.
“Currently, we are handling two concurrent tasks. The first involves scrutinizing documents that have already been uploaded, while the second focuses on uploading the documents submitted during the recent hearing sessions that concluded on February 14. The examination of the newly submitted documents will only commence after their upload is completed,” a source from the CEO’s office clarified.
Given these developments, concerns have arisen regarding the potential extension of the scrutiny deadline, which is set for February 21.
The districts with the highest number of pending voter documents include Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and the electoral district of Kolkata (Uttar).
“If the document uploads had been completed by February 14, alongside the hearing sessions, electoral officers could have focused solely on document scrutiny, which would have minimized the chances of a deadline extension,” the insider added.
As the parallel scrutiny of already-uploaded documents progresses, the number of voters flagged for exclusion from the final voters list due to submission of fraudulent or “unlisted” identity documents is also rising. On Tuesday, approximately 35,000 voters with such issues were identified.
According to the current timeline, the final voters’ list for West Bengal is expected to be published on February 28. Following this, a full bench of the ECI will visit the state for two days starting March 1 to assess the post-SIR situation, after which the ECI will announce the polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Point of View
It's crucial to observe the challenges faced in West Bengal regarding the ongoing scrutiny of voter documents. The situation exemplifies the complexities of electoral processes and the importance of timely action to ensure transparency and fairness in elections.
NationPress
9 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline for the scrutiny of voter documents in West Bengal?
The deadline for the scrutiny is set for February 21.
How many documents remain unuploaded?
Currently, over 114,000 documents are yet to be uploaded into the system.
What happens if the scrutiny is not completed on time?
If not completed on time, there could be concerns regarding the election timeline and potential extensions.
What districts are most affected by the document upload delay?
The districts with the highest number of pending uploads include Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and Kolkata (Uttar).
When is the final voters' list expected to be published?
The final voters' list is expected to be published on February 28.
