Kolkata (West Bengal)

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday hailed Bengal as a "promised land" and stated he would "love to be a Bengali in every possible way".

Replying to a query about his willingness to be a voter of Bengal, Governor Bose said, "Bengal is my promised land. Bengal is a sensation felt in the blood and felt along the heart. I would love to be a Bengali in every possible way. Therefore. I decided that my vote should be in Bengal. I have applied for it, and I hope I may get it."

On the SIR process in the state, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose says," The Supreme Court has given instructions to all stakeholders to take necessary steps to ensure that SIR goes on without any hindrance."

He also spoke on the inclusion Deepavali to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List

" This is an occasion for the entire nation, particularly Bengal, to celebrate Diwali, which represents the quintessence of the best that is there in India, has been listed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage. It gives a lot of pride to all of us. It is the new generation which will benefit from it because India's future lies in her past."

Meanwhile, after Kerala, the Election Commission of India, on Thursday, extended the deadlines for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five States and one Union Territory.

As Per the revised schedule, the enumeration period for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat has been extended to December 14, with the draft roll to be published on December 19. The enumeration period for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands will end on December 18, with the draft rolls on December 23.

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Uttar Pradesh received an extension of 15 days with the enumeration period ending on December 26 and draft rolls to be published on December 31, ECI said in a press note.

In the earlier schedule, the enumeration period for these six States and UTs was until December 11, and the draft electoral rolls were published on December 16.