A delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) visited the workplace of the State’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Thursday (October 16, 2025) and submitted a memorandum with calls for for modification of the method of the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
The memorandum listed out 16-point calls for just like the inclusion of electoral rolls since 2002 until that of the Assembly election in 2021 as probative proof of eligibility and citizenship of a voter if a big inhabitants of electors can’t be mapped within the 2002 voters’ listing.
For context, the final SIR of the voters’ listing in West Bengal was performed in 2002, and through the latest SIR in Bihar, the electoral listing of its final SIR in 2003 was used as a reference level for the submission of identification paperwork for the SIR of 2025.
“The convoluted train of deleting the names of current electors for non-submission of enumeration types inside 30 days after which requiring them to fill Form 6 for re-enrollment as a brand new elector throughout the subsequent 30 days (claims and objections interval), must be discontinued. This is a major flaw within the current SIR 2025 course of,” the WBPCC memorandum additionally said as one among its calls for.
One of their calls for consists of the removing of the requirement for identification paperwork of an elector’s dad and mom that point out their place and date of beginning.
“The Enumeration Form utilized in Bihar SIR, which mentions this requirement, must be modified, particularly through the SIR of electoral roll in West Bengal. A big part of the West Bengal inhabitants includes post-partition refugees, whose dad and mom have been born in undivided India, and they don’t possess such paperwork,” the memorandum cites.
Notably, on October 10, the WBPCC had constituted a ‘particular committee’ tasked with safeguarding the voting rights and citizenship of the folks of the State.
Recently, the SIR in poll-bound Bihar culminated with the publication of the ultimate electoral roll comprising practically 7.42 crore voters. Prior to the SIR course of, the State had 7.89 crore folks enrolled as voters as on June 24, 2025.
Delegation member and chairperson of the WBPCC’s particular committee on voters’ and residents’ rights, Prasenjit Bose, advised The Hindu that the CEO took notice of their calls for and guaranteed them of forwarding them to the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi.
“One of our key calls for is for an all-party assembly earlier than the SIR course of begins in West Bengal. However, the CEO advised us to suggest that to the ECI at a Central degree. We additionally demanded the formation of an institutionalised complaints registration system and for the removing of election officers who’re seen practising partiality through the SIR course of,” Mr Bose stated.
BJP, Trinamool lock horns over SIR
On the identical day, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suvendu Adhikari reiterated his claims of “no SIR, no election” and stated that if there isn’t a SIR, there wouldn’t be a ultimate electoral listing.
“In that case, there wouldn’t be any election after which, after 12 am on May 4 2026, President’s Rule will probably be established within the State,” Mr Adhikari stated at a celebration occasion at flood-affected Nagrakata in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri.
On the opposite hand, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Thursday asserted that the celebration “won’t tolerate” the removing of the names of any real voter and citizen.
Civil society group alleges threats to BLOs
Meanwhile, representatives of the civil society group Sangrami Joutho Mancha additionally met with the CEO on Thursday with complaints of threats allegedly being issued to booth-level officers in a number of districts, amidst experiences of an upcoming SIR within the State. It is price noting that in Bihar, BLOs comprised a big part of the grassroots work pressure that went door to door to gather and assist electors replenish the emuneration kind for SIR.
“In a number of instances, political celebration staff are asking BLOs who’ve accomplished coaching to seek the advice of them on how they need to perform the SIR course of on floor. We have additionally obtained complaints that BLOs are being threatened with dire penalties if any elector is faraway from the listing throughout SIR. We have shared these allegations [to the CEO] and now we have identified to them sure delicate areas within the State the place will probably be troublesome for BLOs to work,” convenor of Sangrami Joutha Mancha Bhaskar Ghosh stated outdoors the CEO workplace.
He added that in their assembly the CEO floated the thought of a assist desk with helpline telephone numbers and an electronic mail tackle for BLOs to register their complaints.
“We have additionally demanded the deployment of Central forces for the safety of BLOs in sure delicate areas. [The CEO] has requested us to recurrently notify them of any additional complaints when SIR begins,” Mr Ghosh stated.
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