Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has hit out at the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its refusal to accept the Class-X (Madhyamik) admit card as age proof during the ongoing Special Intensive Review (SIR) in the state.
The admit cards, which were earlier accepted as proof of birth, are now being rejected without an explanation, Mamata said in Kolkata before leaving for north Bengal on Friday.
While the Class-X admit card is not among the 13 documents specified by the ECI to prove one’s citizenship, to be declared a genuine voter, the proposal for its use came from the West Bengal Chief Electoral Office (CEO).
On Thursday, ECI under secretary Shakti Sharma conveyed the commission’s decision to not treat it as a valid document to West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal, as reported by TOI.
“It is noted that, as per the commission’s instructions issued on Oct 27 for the conduct of SIR in Bengal, the Madhyamik (Class 10) admit card is not listed as an admissible document for verification. In view of the above, the commission is of the opinion that the proposal to accept Madhyamik admit card as a valid document cannot be acceded to,” Sharma’s letter stated.
The commission accepts matriculation or educational certificates issued by any recognised board or university as 1 of the 13 notified documents though.
The CEO had sought clarification from the ECI on January 1, since the SIR hearing posed a challenge to many electors, who did not clear the class X board exam but had Madhyamik admit cards mentioning their date of birth. Several BLOs informed their supervisors or EROs about the problems faced by several electors in producing other documents carrying birth details.
An ECI official said on conditions of anonymity that a Class-X admit cards cannot be accepted as private candidates can also obtain them through study centres, with the sole aim to use them as identify documents.
