Kolkata, Dec 23: Each Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will daily handle 150 cases of hearings on claims and objections to the draft voters’ list in West Bengal from Saturday, as per the target set by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The daily target had been fixed keeping in mind the schedule of the second and third stages of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal so that the hearing session could be concluded within a reasonable period facilitating the process of the meeting the deadline for publishing the final voters’ list on February 14 next year, sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal said.

“Initially, the Commission was thinking of setting the target for daily lists of hearings at 100. However, finally it has decided to fix that daily target at 150, so that enough reserve time is available for examinations of the decisions in those hearings before finally publishing the final voters’ list on February 14 next year,” the sources said.

Each table of hearing will have one ERO, one Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), and one micro-observer specially appointed by the Commission to supervise the hearing sessions.

These micro-observers will either direct central government staff or staff of central public sector undertakings or public banks, all of whom will be from the Group B category. However, the Commission said that all these micro-observers will be recruited from these categories of employees who are currently posted in West Bengal.

The process of sending notices for hearings started on Monday. The booth-level officers (BLOs) will reach the doorsteps of the voters concerned and hand over two copies of the notices to them.

The voter will retain one copy, and return the other copy to the BLO after signing it. The hearing session will be in two phases. In the first phase, “unmapped voters”, not having links with the 2002 list either through “self mapping” or “progeny mapping” will be summoned for hearings.

In the second phase, cases with doubtful family tree data detected in “progeny mapping” will be summoned.

The draft voters’ list was published on December 16.

The final voters’ list will be published on February 14. Soon after that, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled next year.

Mumbai, Dec 23: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Tuesday attacked Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde over his claim that Maharashtra local body polls have finally settled the debate over the “real” Shiv Sena.

In a scathing editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, the Thackeray camp claimed, “The liars say, ‘Our Shiv Sena is real!’ But what is real and what is fake – the common people of the state recognise this. Those who dedicated their victory to Modi-Shah’s feet, the symbol ‘Shiv Sena’ does not suit those thieves. These same Modi-Shah stole the bow and arrow and handed it over to eight traitors in Maharashtra. The theft of Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and local body elections has taken the form of ‘yours, mine, theirs’. The picture ahead will be different – we have no doubt about this.”

According to the editorial, Eknath Shinde has claimed credit for the work shown by the real Shiv Sena people. This is a hollow credit. His party’s claim of solid work in Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and now local body elections is hollow. “Originally, the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the symbol bow and arrow were obtained through Amit Shah’s pressure. The merit of the bow and arrow is significant, and Balasaheb Thackeray, the Shiv Sena chief, had established the ‘bow and arrow’ in every household. These ‘merits’ have been stolen and the real Shiv Sena is being talked about,” said the editorial.

It further stated that the dispute between Shiv Sena and the bow and arrow is still pending in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has given six months’ time for the Election Commission to make a decision. “Dates are not being set there, but after 40 MLAs crossed over to the other side and the decision was made according to law and constitution, Shiv Sena and bow and arrow are encouraging a decision on whose symbol it is!” the editorial said.

The Thackeray camp said that despite the electoral successes of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, legal disputes regarding the party’s “real” status and official symbols remain unresolved. It said, “The Supreme Court has scheduled a final hearing for January 21, 2026, to address the symbol dispute between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions. A similar hearing for the NCP symbol dispute is set for January 22, 2026. The year ends with political parties shifting focus toward the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, which are slated for January 15.” The editorial has even questioned the timing of the hearing in the court.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena alleged, “The results of local body elections are bought and sold through auction. There is no integrity or transparency found anywhere in these results. The ruling party has acquired the art of buying the machinery and voters, and people like Amit Shah kindly make them win elections by stealing the Shiv Sena and bow and arrow. As Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis vows to transform the face of the state following these results, the opposition remains defiant. They describe the current political state as one of ‘looting and deception’ and express confidence that the political picture in Maharashtra will shift in the future,” said the editorial.

Mumbai, Dec 22: The Agripada Police have registered a case of cheating and financial fraud against Ramesh Balu Waghchaure, 50, for allegedly duping Bhimsen Amrut Nikam, 58, a Mulund resident, of Rs 30.50 lakh by falsely promising a railway job and an SRA flat for Nikam’s son, Shubham.

In a shocking twist, the accused allegedly arranged his daughter’s marriage with the complainant’s son and assured that the money would be returned after the wedding, which never happened.

According to the FIR, Nikam currently resides with his family on Gokhale Road, Mulund (East), and had earlier lived at Rasool Jeeva Compound, Sane Guruji Marg, Saat Rasta, from 1994 to 2023. Nikam’s wife, Suman, 51, is originally from Sinnar, Nashik, and the accused Waghchaure, a resident of Pathardi Phata, Nashik, was her former classmate. The families became acquainted during a relative’s wedding in Nashik in December 2017.

After building close relations with the Nikam family, Waghchaure allegedly claimed he had strong contacts in government departments. When Shubham completed his engineering in 2017 and the family began searching for a job for him, the accused reportedly promised to secure him a post of Senior Section Engineer in the Railways. He even introduced a person identified as “Khan” and, in April 2018, collected Rs 7 lakh via RTGS for the job.

Despite repeated follow-ups till 2019, no job was provided. The accused allegedly handed over a fake railway appointment letter and later promised to return the money, which he failed to do.

Around the same time, the Nikam family was looking to purchase a house. Waghchaure then claimed he had links with an SRA project and could arrange a flat at a lower cost.

The accused allegedly took Rs 21.50 lakh in cash and Rs 1.85 lakh through NEFT for an SRA flat, claiming that construction work was underway at Kanjurmarg. However, no flat was allotted, nor was the money returned.

To further delay repayment, Waghchaure allegedly proposed that if his daughter married Shubham, the entire amount would be repaid after the wedding.

The marriage took place on December 25, 2023. However, instead of returning the money, the accused allegedly cited financial difficulties and even took an additional Rs 15,000 from Nikam in February 2024. In total, Waghchaure allegedly collected Rs 30.50 lakh under the pretext of securing a job and an SRA flat.

Realising that he had been cheated, Nikam approached the Agripada police station and lodged a complaint. Based on the complaint, police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and have initiated further investigation.