Economist Amartya Sen excused from SIR hearing due to a typo, according to the Election Commission.

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday stated that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who was reportedly summoned by the EC regarding discrepancies in the spelling of his name on the voter list, is not required to attend a hearing, an official confirmed on Tuesday.

Since Booth Level Officers (BLOs) can correct minor errors, including spelling mistakes in voter names, the correction in the economist’s situation will be managed administratively at the local level, he noted.

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee earlier claimed that Sen received an SIR hearing notice from the EC. However, a family member of Sen informed PTI that they had not yet received any notice from the Commission.
“The confusion over the spelling is strictly technical and does not affect the voter’s eligibility. Our officials have been instructed to address such issues at the administrative level to avoid unnecessary controversy,” the official remarked to PTI.

The Commission stressed that minor errors in voters’ names do not impact the hearing process or a voter’s rights, and authorities have been cautioned to prevent public disputes over such technical issues.

Meanwhile, the poll body has issued strict orders to ensure that all notices pertaining to alleged discrepancies or logical inconsistencies in the voter list are promptly downloaded and delivered to the affected voters within the next four to five days. The official stated that no laxity will be accepted in this task.

Following this directive, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) dispatched instructions to all District Electoral Officers, requesting daily reports on the number of logical discrepancy notices issued on a constituency basis.

Previously, during the initial phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, about 1.36 crore voters were identified with data inconsistencies.

After further verification and corrections, this number has now reduced to approximately 59 lakh voters under the logical discrepancy category.

Another insider within the poll body indicated that the Commission will convene a meeting with Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories.

“The urgent meeting, called by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is scheduled in New Delhi for January 8 at 10 am,” he mentioned.

Sources indicated that the discussion is expected to center on the ongoing SIR process, election preparedness, and various law and order matters.