Kolkata, Dec 27 (NationPress) Following the conclusion of the initial phase of the three-part Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, which focused on enumeration, the second phase will commence on Saturday. This phase will involve hearing sessions regarding claims and objections on the draft voters' list, which was released on December 16.

Each hearing session will be overseen by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), supported by an Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO).

To ensure transparency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed one micro-observer at each hearing table, totaling 4,600 micro-observers. These individuals are either central government employees or representatives from public sector undertakings and banks, primarily from the Group-B and a few from the Group-A categories.

The Commission has set a target for each ERO to complete hearings on 150 cases daily.

The last occurrence of SIR in West Bengal was in 2002.

The initial hearings will focus on the “unmapped” voters, who lack any connection to the 2002 voters' list, whether through “self-mapping” or “progeny mapping”. Approximately 30 lakhs voters fall into this category.

Subsequent hearings will address dubious cases identified through progeny mapping, with about 1.36 crore such cases found.

Some of these questionable cases involve voters aged 45 or older who were absent from the 2002 registry, individuals who became fathers at 15 or younger, grandfathers at 40 or younger, and those with identical names for both parents.

The Commission has implemented measures to prevent the acceptance of forged identity documents during these hearings.

Accountability has also been assigned to EROs, district magistrates, and district electoral officers.

The draft voters' list was released on December 16, while the final list is expected on February 14 next year.

Following this, the ECI will announce polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, scheduled for next year.