SIR kicks off in Bengal amid political opposition, public anxiety; Over 70 lakh forms distributed

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has begun in West Bengal amid strong political opposition and reports of anxiety among some residents. On the first day of the exercise, more than 70 lakh enumeration forms were distributed by over 80,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) across the state, officials said on Wednesday. The house-to-house verification drive, which began on Tuesday, will continue till December 4.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government has raised objections to the initiative, alleging that the revision could be used to remove genuine voters. The BJP, however, has argued that the resistance stems from political concerns. According to the party, the ruling TMC fears that a large section of its support base could be affected if the SIR exercise identifies and deletes names of individuals who are allegedly not eligible to vote. The BJP maintains that some of these voters may have entered the state from Bangladesh over the years and have been given documents that enabled them to be added to the electoral rolls. TMC has rejected these claims, calling them “baseless and aimed at polarisation.”

Meanwhile, incidents of anxiety have surfaced in some districts. In Dankuni, Hooghly, the family of a 60-year-old woman, Hasina Begum, said she collapsed and died after reportedly becoming distressed when she could not locate her name in an older voter document. The state government has said this was the third such death linked to fear surrounding the revision process in recent days.

The opposition has accused the ruling party of spreading unnecessary panic. The Election Commission has appealed for calm, stating that no voter’s name will be removed without verification and due process. Security personnel have been deployed to accompany BLOs in sensitive zones.

The SIR exercise is intended to ensure an accurate and updated voter list. It involves verifying voter details, correcting errors, adding new voters, and removing names of individuals who have died or shifted residences. This is the first statewide special revision in West Bengal in 23 years, the previous one having been conducted in 2002.

During the process, each voter receives two enumeration forms, which are used to confirm or correct personal and residential information. One copy is collected by the BLO after verification, and the second is returned to the voter with an acknowledgement.

A Booth Level Officer is the local representative of the Election Commission, responsible for maintaining the electoral roll at the polling booth level and assisting citizens with necessary documentation.

Officials said they are monitoring all districts and will intervene where distress or confusion is reported.