Kolkata: The extended deadline for distributing enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal ends today, with around 70 lakh forms still to be delivered.
Officials from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, remain confident that the remaining forms will be distributed by the end of the day, citing the steady pace of daily distribution since the process began on 4 November.
According to data from the CEO’s office, 6.98 crore enumeration forms, covering 91.19 per cent of the electorate, had been distributed by 8.00 p.m. on Thursday. The total number of electors in the state, as per the electoral roll dated 27 October, stands at 7,66,37,529.
The initial deadline for form distribution expired on 11 November, with approximately 15 per cent of voters yet to receive their forms. The deadline was subsequently extended to 14 November, marking the conclusion of the first phase of the three-stage SIR process.
The current SIR exercise, the first in West Bengal since 2002, is scheduled to conclude by March next year.
The SIR has sparked political controversy in the state. The Trinamool Congress has opposed the exercise from the outset, alleging it is a ploy by the Union government to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal. The BJP, however, contends that the opposition stems from fears that names of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters may be removed from the rolls.
(Inputs from IANS)