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Kolkata, Nov 3 (IANS) As the first phase of the three-phase special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal is set to begin from Tuesday, the BJP has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to exercise caution while accepting birth certificates issued in the state after June 24, 2025, as valid documents for voter registration during the revision exercise.
On Monday, the BJP sent a communique to the ECI, in which the party leadership suggested several precautionary measures to be adopted while conducting SIR in West Bengal, of which the primary concern is related to birth certificates.
According to the BJP, after birth certificates were recognized as acceptable documents for voter registration, there has been a sudden increase in delayed registrations across West Bengal, with several cases of backdated certificates being issued allegedly in collusion with local officials and political cadres.
Therefore, the BJP has requested the ECI not to accept birth certificates issued in West Bengal after June 24, 2025, for SIR purposes unless they are verified by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) on a case-by-case basis before acceptance.
The BJP has also asked the Commission to be cautious while accepting permanent residence certificates issued by local authorities.
“These certificates are being issued indiscriminately by local authorities under the control of political functionaries. In many cases, they are based only on Aadhaar or EPIC cards, which themselves are subject to questions with regard to authenticity. Only certificates issued and duly signed by Group-A authorities should be accepted. Further, each such certificate should be cross-verified by sending it to the issuing authority to confirm authenticity and residence,” the BJP release to the ECI said.
The party further requested the Commission not to accept caste certificates as valid documents for registration without proper verification or verification. In the case of OBC-A certificates issued between 2011 and 2024, the BJP suggested that such certificates should be excluded from the admissible documents pending a final judicial determination.
–IANS
Source/PGH