Kolkata: Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen figures on the post-SIR list electoral rolls for West Bengal, and his status has been mentioned as ‘Non-Resident Indian’, a senior official of the Election Commission said Saturday.
The development follows a controversy after the poll panel served a hearing notice at the Economist’s residence in Santiniketan as part of the SIR process, which triggered widespread debate and criticism in political and academic circles.
Confirming the development, a senior EC official said, “Prof Amartya Sen’s name has been included in the SIR list. The necessary documents were examined during the hearing process, and his inclusion has been reflected accordingly.”
After the hearing notice was served on the economist, officials of the poll panel visited Sen’s Santiniketan residence to complete the hearing formalities. The Nobel laureate was abroad at that time.
Several documents were handed over to them during the process, including a copy of the 2002 voters’ list, Sen’s passport and Aadhaar card, as well as the death certificate of his mother, Amita Sen.
“The required documents were submitted to the authorities during the hearing. There was considerable anxiety within the family about whether his name would finally remain on the list,” a friend of the Sen family said.
Uncertainty had prevailed among Sen’s relatives over whether his name would be retained in the final electoral roll despite the submission of documents.
However, the publication of the final SIR list confirming his inclusion brought relief to family members and close associates.
“We are relieved that his name has been included in the final list,” the family friend said, adding that the earlier notice and subsequent proceedings had caused “avoidable concern”.
Around 63.66 lakh names, nearly 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted in West Bengal since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began in November last year, bringing down the total number of voters in the state to over 7.04 crore.
