Last Updated:January 07, 2026, 22:01 IST

The Election Commission served a hearing notice to Amartya Sen over a discrepancy in electoral rolls, sparking a political row between Trinamool Congress and BJP in West Bengal.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. (PTI Photo)

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday served a hearing notice to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

The notice seeks a hearing of the 92-year-old economist on January 16 at his residence. It was issued after a “logical discrepancy” was found in the enumeration form submitted during the revision process.

Sen is currently abroad, officials said. The notice was therefore served on a member of his family at Santiniketan in Bolpur, where the economist’s ancestral home is located. Sen’s cousin confirmed receiving the notice and said he would inform him about the matter.

The discrepancy relates to the age difference between Sen and his mother, as recorded in the form, which was found to be less than 15 years.

Addressing the matter, the West Bengal office of the Chief Electoral Officer wrote on X: “The Enumeration Form of Shri Amartya Sen an overseas elector, was received by his family member Shri Shantabhanu Sen who linked him with his mother Smt. Amita Sen. Since the age difference between the elector and his mother was less than 15 years.”

“Logical discrepancy was flagged by the ERO Net Portal. Notice was generated for Dr. Amartya Sen in parity with the other discrepancy cases. Since the elector is aged 85 years plus, ERO/AERO along with BLO have visited his residence and completed the formalities,” it added.

As per EC rules, voters above the age of 85 are entitled to hearings at their residence. Accordingly, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) concerned will visit Sen’s home for the hearing, the official added.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, an official clarified that the Nobel laureate does not need to appear for the hearing in such cases. An official said minor errors, including spelling mistakes in the voter list, can be corrected administratively by Booth Level Officers at the local level and do not affect a voter’s eligibility or rights.

Political Row

The development has sparked a political row in the state. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongly criticised the EC and called the move a “shameful farce”.

On Tuesday, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee had alleged that serving SIR notices to eminent personalities like Sen amounted to “insulting the people of Bengal”.

The BJP and the Election Commission rejected the charge. However, the TMC continued to attack both, accusing them of pursuing a “Bangla-Birodhi (anti-Bengal)” agenda.

In a post on X, the party said it was unacceptable that a Nobel laureate of Sen’s standing was issued a hearing notice. The TMC alleged that the SIR exercise was being conducted at the behest of the BJP and was aimed at targeting Bengal’s icons.

Responding to TMC’s claims, the BPJ took to X and asked if the Mamata Banerjee-led party was “trolling itself”.

“While TMC may believe in differential treatment in West Bengal, where some individuals appear to be above the law, Indian democracy does not allow such exceptions. Under the Constitution, every citizen is equal before the law, from a ragpicker to a billionaire. No one is beyond scrutiny, and no one enjoys special privilege,” the party wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)

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