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A delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) visited the bureau of the State’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal connected Thursday (October 16, 2025) and submitted a memorandum with demands for modification of the process of the impending Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
The memorandum listed retired 16-point demands similar the inclusion of electoral rolls since 2002 till that of the Assembly predetermination successful 2021 arsenic probative grounds of eligibility and citizenship of a elector if a ample colonisation of electors cannot beryllium mapped successful the 2002 voters’ list.
For context, the past SIR of the voters’ database successful West Bengal was conducted successful 2002, and during the caller SIR successful Bihar, the electoral database of its past SIR successful 2003 was utilized arsenic a notation constituent for the submission of recognition documents for the SIR of 2025.
“The convoluted workout of deleting the names of existing electors for non-submission of enumeration forms wrong 30 days and past requiring them to capable Form 6 for re-enrollment arsenic a caller elector wrong the adjacent 30 days (claims and objections period), needs to beryllium discontinued. This is simply a important flaw successful the existing SIR 2025 process,” the WBPCC memorandum besides stated arsenic 1 of its demands.
One of their demands includes the removal of the request for recognition documents of an elector’s parents that notation their spot and day of birth.
“The Enumeration Form utilized successful Bihar SIR, which mentions this requirement, needs to beryllium changed, particularly during the SIR of electoral rotation successful West Bengal. A ample conception of the West Bengal colonisation comprises post-partition refugees, whose parents were calved successful undivided India, and they bash not person specified documents,” the memorandum cites.
Notably, connected October 10, the WBPCC had constituted a ‘special committee’ tasked with safeguarding the voting rights and citizenship of the radical of the State.
Recently, the SIR successful poll-bound Bihar culminated with the work of the last electoral rotation comprising astir 7.42 crore voters. Prior to the SIR process, the State had 7.89 crore radical enrolled arsenic voters arsenic connected June 24, 2025.
Delegation subordinate and chairperson of the WBPCC’s peculiar committee connected voters’ and citizens’ rights, Prasenjit Bose, told The Hindu that the CEO took enactment of their demands and assured them of forwarding them to the Election Commission of India office successful New Delhi.
“One of our cardinal demands is for an all-party gathering earlier the SIR process begins successful West Bengal. However, the CEO told america to suggest that to the ECI astatine a Central level. We besides demanded the enactment of an institutionalised complaints registration strategy and for the removal of predetermination officials who are seen practising partiality during the SIR process,” Mr Bose said.
BJP, Trinamool fastener horns implicit SIR
On the aforesaid day, Leader of Opposition successful West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari reiterated his claims of “no SIR, nary election” and said that if determination is nary SIR, determination wouldn’t beryllium a last electoral list.
“In that case, determination wouldn’t beryllium immoderate predetermination and then, aft 12 americium connected May 4 2026, President’s Rule volition beryllium established successful the State,” Mr Adhikari said astatine a enactment lawsuit astatine flood-affected Nagrakata successful West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri.
On the different hand, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh connected Thursday asserted that the enactment “will not tolerate” the removal of the names of immoderate genuine elector and citizen.
Civil nine radical alleges threats to BLOs
Meanwhile, representatives of the civilian nine radical Sangrami Joutho Mancha besides met with the CEO connected Thursday with complaints of threats allegedly being issued to booth-level officers successful respective districts, amidst reports of an upcoming SIR successful the State. It is worthy noting that successful Bihar, BLOs comprised a ample conception of the grassroots enactment unit that went doorway to doorway to cod and assistance electors capable up the emuneration signifier for SIR.
“In respective cases, governmental enactment workers are asking BLOs who person completed grooming to consult them connected however they should transportation retired the SIR process connected ground. We person besides received complaints that BLOs are being threatened with dire consequences if immoderate elector is removed from the database during SIR. We person shared these allegations [to the CEO] and we have pointed retired to them definite delicate areas successful the State wherever it volition beryllium hard for BLOs to work,” convenor of Sangrami Joutha Mancha Bhaskar Ghosh said extracurricular the CEO office.
He added that during their gathering the CEO floated the thought of a assistance table with helpline telephone numbers and an email code for BLOs to registry their complaints.
“We person besides demanded the deployment of Central forces for the extortion of BLOs successful definite delicate areas. [The CEO] has asked america to regularly notify them of immoderate further complaints erstwhile SIR begins,” Mr Ghosh said.
