A direct dispute between the State Government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) surfaced on Friday over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of the voter list in West Bengal. Hours after the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal informed the ECI that it is fully prepared to carry out the exercise, Nabanna, the state secretariat, wrote a letter to the CEO saying the state government is not prepared to carry out the programme as it requires “adequate time”.
“It is learnt that the office of the CEO, West Bengal has informed the ECI that West Bengal is ready for Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls. It appears that no consultation or prior intimation was made with the State Government by the office of the CEO, West Bengal,” the letter read.
West Bengal Chief Minister on several occasions opposed the SIR in public, terming the exercise a conspiracy to exclude Bengali-speaking voters from the electoral rolls ahead of the Assembly elections in Bengal. Ruling TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, after returning from Delhi on Friday, said the ECI is acting at the behest of the BJP. “We will gherao the ECI’s office if a single elector’s name is omitted from the voter list,” he warned.
According to sources, the CEO’s office has also given a counter-letter to the state government, mentioning that during the SIR in Bihar, all states were asked to be prepared for the exercise and so the preparation has begun.
Shortly before the Bengal government’s letter arrived, the CEO’s office officially informed the ECI that the state is fully prepared to carry out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, a comprehensive voter list update exercise being launched across various states and union territories. This will be West Bengal’s first SIR in more than two decades, the last such revision having been conducted in 2002-03.
According to a senior source in the Commission, the CEO’s office has already collected detailed preparation reports from all districts across the state and submitted them to the ECI. The state’s election machinery has confirmed that it is ready in every aspect to undertake the massive revision exercise.
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In line with the Election Commission’s new directive that no polling booth should have more than 1,200 voters, West Bengal has increased the number of polling stations from 80,680 to over 94,000. The updated list of polling booths has already been shared with all political parties in the state.
Following the completion of SIR in Bihar, the Election Commission is now initiating the process in other states and union territories, including West Bengal. In a letter issued last month, the ECI instructed all CEOs to complete the recruitment and training of key personnel such as Booth Level Officers (BLOs), BLO Supervisors, and Booth Level Agents (BLAs). They were also directed to submit detailed updates regarding these appointments and training sessions.
A source in the Commission explained that the SIR process in West Bengal will involve door-to-door verification by a team of electoral officials including District Election Officers (DEOs), District Magistrates, Additional District Magistrates, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and BLOs. Every individual listed in the voter roll will be required to fill out a verification form and submit the necessary documents.
Exceptions will be made for those whose names appeared in the January 1, 2002, SIR list or for individuals whose guardians were included in that list. However, for new voters or those who have migrated from other states, additional forms and documents, particularly related to identity and citizenship, must be submitted and verified. The process will also be facilitated through an online platform.
Political parties will remain involved throughout, with their booth-level representatives assisting in the verification process.
Meanwhile, a delegation of BJP MPs from West Bengal, led by state party president Shamik Bhattacharya, met officials of the Election Commission in Delhi on Thursday afternoon and submitted a letter of complaint against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In the letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, the BJP alleged that Mamata is actively obstructing a free and fair electoral process in the state. They accused her of threatening government officials involved in the voter list revision process.
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