EC Denies Summoning Amartya Sen in Voter List Row
Election Commission says notice to Nobel laureate was due to spelling error, not a hearing summons.
- TMC claims EC issued notice to Amartya Sen
- Poll body clarifies it was a computer error
- No hearing required, says EC sources
- Issue linked to Special Intensive Revision in Bengal
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 6th Jan: The Election Commission on Tuesday clarified that Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen has not been summoned for any hearing in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal, dismissing claims made by the ruling Trinamool Congress.
At a public rally in Birbhum, Trinamool MP and party National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee claimed that Sen had been served a hearing notice by the poll body as part of the SIR exercise. He also alleged that several public figures, including actor-turned-MP Dev and cricketer Md Shami, were being targeted during the revision process.
However, sources in the Election Commission said the notice was generated due to a spelling mismatch in the enumeration form and was not a summons for a hearing. They said a computer-generated notice was automatically issued by the system and the Booth Level Officer (BLO) concerned has now been asked to correct the spelling error.
Sources associated with Amartya Sen’s Trust said no SIR notice has been received at the Nobel laureate’s residence in Bolpur so far. Sen, who votes in Shantiniketan, continues to hold a valid voter ID and last cast his vote in 2014.
The clarification came amid a face-off between the Trinamool Congress and the Election Commission over the SIR exercise in the state. The party has approached the Supreme Court seeking action against the poll body, alleging that the voter list revision is being conducted in an unorganised, non-transparent and haphazard manner.
