The process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list began in West Bengal today, following directives from the National Election Commission. In accordance with this, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has convened an all-party meeting at the CEO’s office at 4 pm today.
In a notification sent to all political parties, the CEO’s office informed that the meeting would elaborate on the guidelines issued by the Election Commission. To ensure clarity for all participants, special translators have been appointed to translate the Commission’s explanations into Bengali for presentation before the political representatives.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, announced the second phase of the SIR during a press conference at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Monday. The first phase of the voter list revision was held in Bihar, while the second phase includes West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep, Puducherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
According to the Election Commission’s rules, the voter lists of these 12 states and Union Territories have been “frozen” from midnight on October 28, meaning no new names can be added, corrected, or modified until further notice.
The printing of enumeration forms, which are used for number verification, will begin from October 28, along with the training of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), which will continue until November 3. The distribution of enumeration forms to voters will take place between November 4 and December 4, during which citizens living abroad or outside the state will also be able to fill out the forms online.
The draft voter list will be published on December 9, after which complaints regarding wrong or omitted names can be filed between December 9 and January 8. The investigation of complaints will take place from December 9 to January 31, and the final voter list is scheduled for publication on February 7.
During the press conference, questions were raised about the objections from West Bengal and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regarding the SIR process in the state. However, Kumar avoided engaging in any political debate or controversy. Instead, he cited the constitutional provisions governing the Election Commission’s powers and the state’s obligations.
With the SIR process now underway, all eyes are on how smoothly the revision of the voter list progresses in West Bengal, a state known for its politically charged electoral atmosphere.
Also read: ECI to issue separate SIR order for Assam: Gyanesh Kumar
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