West Bengal Voter List Hearings Begin: 3.2 Million Unmapped Voters Get Chance

• Hearings for West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists commence today, addressing claims and objections on the draft list published December 16.
• Approximately 3.2 million 'unmapped' voters, lacking links to the 2002 voter list, will be heard first across 3,234 centers statewide.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) deployed 4,600 micro-observers, primarily central government or PSU employees, to monitor hearing sessions.
• ECI aims for EROs to complete 150 cases daily and has identified 13.6 million suspicious cases with unusual family-tree data for future hearings.
• The final voter list will be published on February 14, 2024, ahead of next year's crucial West Bengal Assembly elections.

Why It Matters: West Bengal begins crucial voter list hearings, giving 3.2 million unmapped voters a chance to register.