Economist Amartya Sen not required to attend SIR hearing over spelling error, says EC

Kolkata: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday clarified that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who was reportedly summoned by the EC over discrepancies in the spelling of his name in the voter list, is not required to appear for a hearing, an official said on Tuesday.

Since Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have the authority to correct minor errors, including spelling mistakes in voter names, the correction in the economist's case will be handled administratively at the local level, he said.

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed earlier in the day that Sen has been served with an SIR hearing notice by the EC. A family member of Sen, however, told PTI that they had not yet received any hearing notice from the Commission.

"The confusion over the spelling is purely technical and has no bearing on the voter's eligibility. Our officials have been instructed to resolve such matters at the administrative level to prevent unnecessary controversy," the official told PTI.

The Commission emphasised that minor errors in voters' names do not affect the hearing process or a voter's rights, and authorities have been warned to avoid creating public disputes over such technicalities.

Meanwhile, the poll body issued strict instructions to ensure that all notices related to alleged discrepancies or logical inconsistencies in the voter list are downloaded immediately and delivered to the voters concerned within the next four to five days, the official said, adding that no lapses will be tolerated in this task.

Following the directive, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) sent instructions to all District Electoral Officers, asking for daily reports on the number of logical discrepancy notices served constituency-wise.

Earlier, during the first phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, around 1.36 crore voters were found with data inconsistencies.

After subsequent verification and corrections, the number has now come down to approximately 59 lakh voters under the logical discrepancy category.

Another source in the poll body said that the Commission will now hold a meeting with Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories.

"The emergency meeting, convened by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is scheduled in New Delhi for January 8 at 10 am," he said.

Sources said the discussion is likely to focus on the ongoing SIR process, poll preparedness, and several law and order issues.