Kolkata: A three-member delegation from the Election Commission of India (ECI) has arrived in West Bengal to review the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, currently underway across the state. The team, comprising Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agarwal, and Principal Secretary S.B. Joshi, will remain in the state until 8 November and is focusing on monitoring progress in the northern districts of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar. They are joined by West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal and a technical support team.
To ensure transparency and responsiveness, the CEO’s office has activated the “Book a Call with BLO” app, allowing voters to contact booth-level officers directly. Officials have been instructed to track app activity and respond promptly to unattended calls. If a BLO fails to respond, district election officers will be alerted to follow up and ensure voter grievances are addressed.
The SIR process, last conducted in 2002, is being carried out in three stages. In the first phase, BLOs are visiting households to collect voter details using enumeration forms, after which the draft voters’ list will be published. The second phase will allow political parties and individual voters to submit objections or corrections to the draft list, and in the final stage, Electoral Registration Officers will address all complaints before releasing the final voters’ list. The entire revision exercise is scheduled for completion by March 2026.
(Inputs from IANS)