Kolkata, Oct. 4 -- With Kolkata's polling booth boundaries being redrawn ahead of the civic elections the authorities face another electoral challenge in the form of a large backlog of Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-related appeals, with 67,667 cases still pending in Kolkata North and Kolkata South.
The district-wise data shows that Kolkata South accounts for the larger share of pending cases. Of the 39,850 appeals filed there, 39,021 are yet to be disposed of, while only 829 have been cleared. In Kolkata North, 28,646 of 29,628 appeals remain pending, with 982 disposed of.
Together, the two Kolkata districts have received 69,478 appeals, of which just 1,811 have been disposed of.
The figures come at a time when preparations for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls are gaining momentum. 16 municipal returning officers recently met at KMC headquarters to review booth boundaries following delimitation. The exercise became necessary after the number of KMC wards was increased from 144 to 209.
Officials need to establish the exact boundaries of each polling booth to determine which polling station voters will be attached to. A ward may contain several booths, making the exercise particularly important after the reorganisation.
The State Election Commission has also directed Booth Level Officers to undergo training on identifying part-wise electors, including locating voters whose names were affected during the SIR exercise.
With the civic polls scheduled for the last week of November, officials will have to reconcile the revised booth structure with the electoral data while a substantial number of SIR appeals remain pending.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.