After the completion of the enumeration phase of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal, the draft roll will be published on Tuesday in keeping with the Election Commission’s schedule.

EC sources said that all those who had filled up the enumeration forms would be enlisted in the draft rolls. It is assumed that the names of 7.08 crore voters out of a total of 7.66 crore in Bengal would figure in the electoral rolls. About 58 lakh forms were not filled in as booth-level officers (BLOs) found those voters either dead, shifted, absent
or duplicate.

The Telegraph takes a closer look at the steps a voter should initiate to find his or her name in the draft rolls, and the measures voters should take if they find their names missing in the rolls.

How to spot your name: Unlike the 2002 post-SIR rolls of Bengal, the draft voter list would be searchable. A voter can use his or her EPIC number as input to search for the name in the draft rolls. For this, a voter can visit the website of the CEO of West Bengal (ceowestbengal.wb.go.in).

Now, electors, who were not mapped with the 2002 rolls (whose names didn’t figure in the 2002 rolls, or the names of their parents were not in the 2002 rolls), would be called for a hearing and verification. The number of such voters is about 30 lakh. Around 1.67 crore voters, who were flagged by the EC, may also be called for a hearing and document verification. The notice for the hearing will be delivered to a voter’s address, and a notification sent to the mobile numbers given in the enumeration forms.

What to do if a voter’s name is missing: If a voter finds his/her name missing from the draft rolls, he/she can appeal before the electoral registration officer between December 15 and January 15 next year. The voters who could not fill in the enumeration forms because of several reasons, and have been marked as shifted or absent, can also appeal before the ERO.

If applicants are not satisfied with the ERO’s verdict, they can appeal before the district election officer. They can also appeal before the CEO of West Bengal if they find the DEO’s decision unsatisfactory.

If any voter’s name is not included in the list despite appeals, he/ she can apply to get included in the electoral rolls by filling up Form 6 as a new elector.

What to do if called for a hearing and verification: A voter would have to face a common question, where they or their family members were enrolled in 2002 if none of their family members’ names figure in the 2002 rolls. The reply by the voter should be backed by proper documents. For example, if a voter said that he/ she was employed in a different state or abroad in 2002, he would have to produce a document to establish his or her claim. “He can produce the pension papers if the job has a pension,” said an official.