Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen has expressed deep concern about the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) process in West Bengal. He has warned that this exercise is being done in unnecessary haste and it could jeopardize democratic participation before the assembly elections to be held in a few months.

Reflecting on the democratic importance of voter list revision, he said that this process can strengthen voting rights only if it is carried out with care and taking adequate time. According to him, both these conditions are missing in the case of Bengal.

This is injustice to the voters: Amartya Sen

92-year-old Amartya Sen said in an interview to PTI in Boston, USA, ‘If a thorough revision of voter lists is done carefully and with sufficient time, it can be a good democratic process, but at present this is not happening in West Bengal.’

He said, ‘The SIR exercise is being done in a hurry and people having voting rights are not getting adequate opportunity to submit the necessary documents to prove their rights for the upcoming assembly elections. This is not only unfair to the voters, but also unfair to Indian democracy.

Even Election Commission officials do not have time: Sen

Sharing his experience during the SIR of voter lists in Bengal, Sen said that the pressure of time is clearly visible on the election officials also. He said that sometimes the Election Commission officials do not have enough time.

He said, ‘Even though I have already voted from Shanti Niketan and my name, address and other details are recorded in the official records, my voting rights were questioned. I was asked about my late mother’s age at the time of my date of birth, even though my mother’s details were also available in the records of the Election Commission.

Sen shared his experiences regarding SIR

The eminent economist also mentioned the documentation difficulties that are common for many Indians born in rural areas. He said, ‘Like many Indian citizens born in rural India (I was born in the then village Shantiniketan), I do not have a birth certificate and additional documents were required to be submitted on my behalf for my eligibility to vote.’ Although his case was resolved, he expressed concern for those who do not have access to such help.

He sarcastically said that he got through the process with a little help from friends, but not everyone has such supportive friends. Sen said, ‘Even though I can happily say that oh, I managed with a little help from my friends, but I worry about those who do not have such loyal friends. My friends helped me overcome the tough hurdle of the powerful Election Commission.

Democratic integrity should remain paramount: Sen

90-year-old Sen was summoned for hearing after the commission found a logical discrepancy in the age difference between him and his mother Amita Sen in the voter list. When asked whether any political party could benefit from SIR, Sen said he could not give a definite answer. He said that democratic integrity should remain paramount.

He said, ‘I am not an expert on elections, so I cannot give a definite answer to this question. People with more knowledge than me have told me that BJP will benefit from less counting. He further said, ‘I don’t know whether it is right or not, but the real issue is that the Election Commission should not insist on any flawed system and should not force our proud democracy to make any unnecessary mistakes, even if no one benefits from it.’

The most deprived and poor people will be affected by this process.

Discussing the groups most at risk of being left out during SIR, Sen pointed to the structural inequalities faced by poor citizens. He said, ‘The obvious answer is that the deprived and poor sections will be most affected. The documents required to be included in the new voter list are often difficult to obtain for the weaker sections of the society.

He said, ‘The class bias reflected in the compulsion to collect and show specific documents to determine eligibility for enrollment in the new voter list, naturally works against the poor class.’

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After meeting the delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Central Election Commission (ECI) has given many important instructions and strong messages regarding the election process in West Bengal. The Commission made it clear that any kind of obstruction or pressure will not be tolerated in the electoral system and strict action will be taken against those who play with law and order.

The Election Commission asked the Mamata Banerjee led state government of West Bengal to immediately release the increased honorarium approved by the Commission to all the booth level officers i.e. BLOs. The Commission stressed that the employees engaged in electoral work should get their rights on time, so that the voter list and other electoral processes can be conducted smoothly.

What did ECI say after meeting TMC delegation?

During the meeting with the TMC delegation, the Election Commission said that keeping in mind the convenience of voters, polling centers will also be set up in high-rise buildings, gated communities and slum areas. The Commission believes that this will ensure maximum voter participation and will help in increasing the voting percentage.

Election Commission’s stern warning to TMC

With this, the Election Commission issued a stern warning to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), saying, ‘The party should ensure that its grassroots political representatives or workers do not indulge in threatening or intimidating any employee deployed on election duty, be they BLO, ERO, AERO or observer.’ The Commission said in clear words, ‘Incident of intimidation against any election worker will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Strict action will be taken against any mischievous elements trying to take the law into their own hands.

TMC delegation led by Abhishek Banerjee met ECI

It is noteworthy that earlier, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation led by Abhishek Banerjee had met the Election Commission and put forward many questions and objections regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

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