Electoral Notices to Amartya Sen and Others: Routine or Controversy?

The West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer clarified that summons to Amartya Sen, Mohammed Shami, and Dev were part of routine electoral verification. The office explained that blank mandatory linkage columns in enumeration forms required hearings. Amartya Sen's age was noted, and all processes followed Election Commission rules strictly.

The West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's office has clarified that recent hearing summonses issued to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, cricketer Mohammed Shami, and TMC MP Dev were standard procedure in an electoral verification process. This clarification comes after the notices sparked a public controversy.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer, scrutiny of the submitted enumeration forms revealed that mandatory linkage columns were left blank, triggering automatic hearings for the individuals alongside other electors under similar circumstances, in accordance with Election Commission directives.

Specifically addressing Amartya Sen's case, the CEO's office noted a logical discrepancy due to closely aged familial linkage, followed by procedural visitations due to his advanced age. The office emphasized that the process was uniformly applied without special or selective targeting, adhering strictly to EC rules.

(With inputs from agencies.)