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India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Is Bengal headed for voter roll revision? A tell-tale sign on the ground
The Election Commission (EC) has uploaded electoral rolls from its last major Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal in 2002, marking a possible precursor to a fresh such process ahead of the assembly elections in the state next far, PDF downloads of electoral data are accessible for 103 of the 294 assembly constituencies spread over 11 districts—Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda, Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly, Medinipur and Bankura; rolls from the remaining 191 constituencies are expected to be uploaded in the days to 2002 SIR rolls have been uploaded on the website of the chief electoral officer of West Bengal. Their release is being interpreted as groundwork for a fresh SIR, wherein citizens will be scrutinised based on that list. The last SIR in Bengal was conducted during Left Front rule. With delimitation in 2008 having restructured constituencies and polling booths, individuals must now trace which constituency and booth they belonged to back in 2002 in order to locate their names or their parents' enrolment minister Mamata Banerjee has warned that genuine voters risk being excluded under a process she equates with discrimination and unfair targeting. On July 28, she stated: 'We won't tolerate this in Bengal. The double-engine government is behind this conspiracy.' 'No one will have their names in the voters' list, despite having Aadhaar, EPICs (voter cards) and PAN... The list is decided from Gujarat. I love Gujaratis, but some agency in Gujarat is working as the BJP's agency,' she also expressed dismay over reports that around 1,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) from Bengal had been sent to New Delhi for training under the EC's directive—without state government knowledge. 'Why were we not aware of that training? The chief secretary should have been informed,' she said during an administrative meeting with district magistrates. 'Please inform the chief secretary and us. You are making decisions on your own,' she added chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal clarified the position. 'If SIR takes place, the training will equip BLOs to carry out their responsibilities effectively. However, the decision rests entirely with the EC. SIR may take place in the future. BLO training is a regular activity of the EC, and SIR, like many other aspects, is in our training syllabus,' he training of BLOs has continued within the state from July 24 to 28, with around 900 officers undergoing induction at Kolkata's Mahajati Sadan, and others in districts including Malda, East Burdwan, Midnapore and Jalpaiguri. The office of the chief electoral officer has also summoned assistant returning officers from Moyna, Baruipur and Rajarhat to explain alleged inconsistencies and presence of fake voters in the SIR is a constitutional mechanism allowing the EC to conduct door-to-door enumeration at any time, with the aim of rebuilding the electoral rolls from the ground up—without reliance on the existing list—in a time-bound process. Similar exercises have been conducted in various states since the early 1950s. The SIR in Bihar, in the run-up to assembly polls this year, has blown up into a political SIR typically requires submission of new enumeration forms by all registered voters, along with documentary proof of date and place of birth for those enrolled after the prior SIR cut-off—often extended to include parents' voter IDs and birth certifications to establish Bengal's context, those registered before or during the 2002 SIR may not need modern documentation; later enrollees likely will. Given the substantial demographic change—Bengal's electorate has grown from 47 million in 2004 to around 76 million by early 2025—the EC will be expected to balance inclusivity with Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev has argued that the current exercise exceeds the EC's mandate and encroaches upon citizenship verification, which is constitutionally the domain of the Union home ministry. Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, have called for a Bihar-style SIR in Bengal, citing fears of illegal infiltration. Adhikari flagged a sudden surge of 70,000 new registrations and urged the exclusion of domicile certificates issued after July 25 in the review caution that burdensome documentation and changes in booth allocation could disenfranchise the elderly, migrants, seasonal labourers and residents of remote areas. Civil society commentators warn that requiring legacy documentation for those enrolled post-2002 may impose an undue hurdle, especially when the EC lacks statutory authority for citizenship the other hand, proponents argue that SIR helps cleanse electoral rolls of ineligible or duplicate registrations, safeguarding democratic legitimacy. The EC itself insists that the process is routine and anchored in citizens, locating their name in the uploaded SIR roll is now the first step. Once the list is fully online, individuals must identify their 2002 constituency and booth—information often irretrievable without local knowledge or family memory—so they can match names before the SIR scrutinises eligibility Bengal gears up for a comprehensive voter enumeration process, both the EC and political camps in the state face mounting pressure: the EC to deliver a transparent, inclusive SIR; the TMC to guard voters against unfair exclusion; and the BJP to push for rigorous cleansing of electoral lists. On way to the battle of 2026, all eyes are now on the uploads, hearings and final shape of Bengal's voter to India Today Magazine- Ends
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
EC conducts day-long training session for Bengal poll officers
Kolkata: With Trinamool raising its pitch against any special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bengal and Parliament paralysed over opposition's offensive against the exercise in Bihar, the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Bengal conducted a day-long training session involving nearly 1,000 officers of Presidency Division at Nazrul Mancha on Saturday. The training of assistant election registration officers (AEROs), supervisors and booth level officers (BLOs) covered various aspects of the electoral process. Officials from several districts — including Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Nadia — participated in the programme. These officials will play a key role in managing the electoral process in at least 108 assembly segments. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The CEO's office has held similar training programmes in East Burdwan and Malda. After Kolkata, the sessions will be conducted in Midnapore and Jalpaiguri. Earlier, a section of BLO officers was trained in New Delhi. The training assumes significance in light of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, which is scheduled to go to polls later this year. The Bengal assembly elections are scheduled in mid-2026. "This is a day-long programme where we are imparting training on various aspects like voter enumeration, use of electoral apps and other related procedures," said a senior official from the Bengal CEO's office. "Many participants at the programme have been recently appointed and this was their first training session," he added. On Friday, CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal said that similar trainings were never conducted before. "Whether it is summary revision or SIR, this training will help BLOs," he had said.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
West Bengal CEO stays mum on SIR, holds training session for booth-level officers
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal convened a divisional-level training session and meeting with election officials at Kolkata's Nazrul Manch on Saturday (July 26, 2025), amid speculation that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may be conducted in the State, similar to the process underway in Bihar. The training, organised for Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Supervisors and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from various Assembly constituencies, comes ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for 2026. However, addressing queries from journalists on whether an SIR would be undertaken for West Bengal's electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said that any such decision lies with the Election Commission of India (ECI). 'If SIR happens, the ECI will notify. Whether SIR will happen, when it will happen, when it will be declared — these are not in my jurisdiction,' Mr. Agarwal said. Notably, the CEO West Bengal website currently displays the 2002 electoral roll of certain districts of West Bengal from the last SIR in the State, a detail that gains relevance in the context of Bihar, where the 2003 roll has been set as a reference point for submission of identification documents in the ongoing SIR. Clarifying further, Mr. Agarwal added that each BLO is expected to conduct one SIR in their service tenure, but the training conducted on Saturday should not be construed as an indication of an impending SIR in the State. 'Every BLO has to conduct one SIR in their lifetime. SIRs have been conducted many times in the past. It was carried out between 1952 and 2004. The training session held today does not indicate SIR. If SIR is carried out in the State, the ECI, which is a constitutional body, will notify the list of identification documents that will suffice,' the CEO said. He also noted that in Bihar, BLOs have been instructed to go door to door to distribute, assist with, collect, digitise, and submit enumeration forms via the BLO app. 'However, I do not know whether the same will be for West Bengal,' Mr. Agarwal said.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Bihar-like voter revision in Bengal too? State poll chief says EC can decide, ‘training on, if SIR held…'
To the question whether or not a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls will take place in West Bengal, the state's chief electoral officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, has said such a decision can be taken only by the apex poll panel, the Election Commission of India. Opposition parties have repeatedly raised questions on the poll process, including the electronic voting machines (EVMs, in picture) and the EC's move to seek citizenship proofs from voters. (Representative/AFP file) Training of booth-level officers (BLOs) and supervisors will ensure preparedness if the process is initiated, he added, sharing details of training sessions. "If SIR takes place, the training will equip BLOs to carry out their responsibilities effectively. However, the decision rests entirely with the ECI," Agarwal further said. The SIR currently being held in Bihar — which has elections in October-November — has led to a major political controversy. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has said she won't allow such an exercise in her state, which is due for polls early next year. Opposition parties, including Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, accuse the BJP-led central government of using the EC to manipulate the voter lists. The issue is currently also in the Supreme Court. BJP leaders in Bengal have spoken of how a similar revision will be held in West Bengal, which has elections next year. Also read | SIR needed in Bengal too, says state BJP chief, 'else it'll become West Bangladesh' "The EC has decided to train the officers. Earlier, there was no such training. The poll panel has an institute, IIIDEM, where people have been trained to make them understand the work, their statutory functions," Agarwal said, as per a PTI report. The IIIDEM stands for India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, established in 2011. BLO and other officials' training was held in Malda on July 24, and in Purba Bardhaman on July 25. A session was scheduled for Kolkata on July 26, followed by Midnapore and Jalpaiguri on subsequent days.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
EC will decide SIR of electoral rolls in Bengal: WB chief electoral officer
Stating that the decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls lies solely with the Election Commission, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday said training of booth-level officers (BLOs) and supervisors will ensure preparedness if the process is initiated. He said training of the BLOs was an ongoing process, and a similar session would be held in Kolkata on Saturday and in the other districts in the following days. "The EC has decided to train the officers. Earlier, there was no such training. The poll panel has an institute, IIIDEM, where people have been trained to make them understand the work, their statutory functions," Agarwal said. According to sources, the CEO held a virtual conference with the BLOs on Friday. The IAS officer said the training would help if the SIR of electoral rolls was initiated in Bengal. "If SIR takes place, the training will equip BLOs to carry out their responsibilities effectively. However, the decision rests entirely with the ECI," Agarwal clarified. "Yesterday, training took place in Malda. Today, it happened in Purba Bardhaman, and tomorrow it will take place in Kolkata. Day after tomorrow, it will take place in Midnapore and on July 28 in Jalpaiguri," he added. The ongoing SIR of voters' list in Bihar has created a political row, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging the move aims to delete a large number of voters. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
