The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday clarified that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is not required to appear for any hearing regarding discrepancies in the spelling of his name in the voter list. The clarification came after reports suggested that the EC had summoned the economist over the issue.
According to reports, “The confusion over the spelling is purely technical and has no bearing on the voter’s eligibility. Our officials have been instructed to resolve such matters at the administrative level to prevent unnecessary controversy.” The Commission emphasized that minor errors in voters’ names do not affect the hearing process or a voter’s rights. Authorities have also been warned to avoid creating public disputes over such technicalities.
Was Amartya Sen Asked To Appear For SIR Hearing?
Earlier on Tuesday, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee claimed during a public rally in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, that the EC had served Sen with a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing notice.
Banerjee said, “On my way here, I was told that Professor Amartya Sen, the Nobel laureate who brought global recognition to our country, has been served with an SIR hearing notice. Many eminent people, like actor Dev and cricketer Md Shami, who was part of Team India’s World Cup-winning squad, were also served notices.”
However, a family member of Sen told PTI that they had not received any hearing notice from the Commission.
What EC Is Doing to Streamline SIR Notices
The EC has issued strict instructions to ensure that all notices related to alleged discrepancies or logical inconsistencies in the voter list are downloaded and delivered to the voters concerned within four to five days. The official added that no lapses will be tolerated in this task.
Following the directive, the office of the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has instructed all District Electoral Officers to submit daily reports on the number of logical discrepancy notices served constituency-wise.
During the first phase of the ongoing SIR of voter lists, around 1.36 crore voters were found to have data inconsistencies.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Raises Concerns Over SIR
Earlier on Sunday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to halt the “arbitrary and flawed” SIR in the state. She warned that its continuation in the current form could lead to “mass disenfranchisement” and “strike at the foundations of democracy.”
Banerjee alleged that officials responsible for the task had received no proper or uniform training, and that the IT systems being used were “defective, unstable, and unreliable.”
Amartya Sen is a renowned Indian economist and philosopher, celebrated for his work on welfare economics, social justice, and human development.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998 for his research on poverty, famine, and inequality, demonstrating that famines often result from unequal access to food rather than shortages. Sen is best known for the capability approach, which emphasizes what people can do and be, rather than just their income.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
