Election Commission Rejects West Bengal’s Request for Swastha Sathi and Ration Cards in Voter List Revision
In a big update from Kolkata, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has turned down the West Bengal government’s push to add Swastha Sathi and ration or PDS cards to the list of valid identity proofs for the upcoming special intensive revision of voter lists in the state.
Swastha Sathi cards are part of the West Bengal government’s popular health insurance scheme, where the state covers the full premium for citizens. Ration or PDS cards, on the other hand, help people access subsidized food supplies and serve as key identity documents issued by the state.
This decision comes after the Supreme Court recently ordered the ECI to include Aadhaar cards as valid proof for such revisions. The same voter list cleanup process wrapped up smoothly in Bihar earlier this year, ahead of its assembly elections.
West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant wrote to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal earlier this month, urging him to ask the ECI to treat Swastha Sathi and PDS cards like Aadhaar for the West Bengal special intensive revision. But sources in the CEO’s office revealed on Thursday evening that the ECI firmly said no.
An insider explained that the ECI dismissed the state’s arguments. The government had claimed Swastha Sathi cards prove citizenship since the state verifies all resident details before issuing them. They also argued PDS cards could help identify many people without other proofs. Still, the commission stuck to its guns, saying uniform rules must apply across all Indian states—no special treatment for West Bengal.
This special intensive revision has sparked a lot of debate in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party have opposed it from the start, calling it a sneaky way to push the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.
On the flip side, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accuses the TMC and Mamata Banerjee of resisting the revision because it might remove names of illegal immigrants, like Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators, from the voter rolls.
As West Bengal gears up for its own elections, this ECI move keeps the focus on fair and nationwide standards for voter verification. Stay tuned for more on West Bengal voter list revision and election updates.
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