Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 5 (HBTV): The second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began on Tuesday across 12 States and Union Territories, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) distributing enumeration forms door-to-door.
In West Bengal, BLOs in Kolkata’s Rashbehari Assembly constituency said they have been instructed to complete the form distribution and collection process within one month. ‘This is the 160-Rashbehari Assembly constituency. We have to distribute and get enumeration forms fulfilled in one month’s time,’ BLO Rajesh Singh told ANI.
In Tamil Nadu, District Election Officer and District Collector K. Ilambhagavath inspected the progress of the exercise in urban areas of Thoothukudi, including Amutha Nagar, Millerpuram, NGO Colony, P&T Colony, Tooviepuram, and Meelvittan.
The enumeration phase marks the start of the SIR exercise in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced the second phase of the SIR exercise on October 27, with the final voter list scheduled for publication on February 7, 2026. Printing and training were conducted between October 28 and November 3, followed by the Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4.
According to the ECI, the Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objections period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase, which includes hearings and verification, will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, while the Final Electoral Rolls will be published on February 7, 2026.
Drawing from the experience of the first phase of SIR in Bihar, the ECI stated that BLOs would visit households up to three times for matching and linking forms. ‘If the elector is not available or there is a delay in matching and linking, the BLOs will visit the houses a total of three times. Electors can also fill out the forms online. If their names, or their father’s or mother’s names, were not available on the 2003 list, the ERO will determine eligibility based on indicative documents,’ Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said during a press conference on October 27.
However, the SIR exercise has attracted opposition in some states, particularly West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Trinamool Congress national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee warned that the party would take the fight to Delhi if even a single eligible voter was removed from West Bengal’s rolls, accusing the BJP and the ECI of working together to undermine the state’s identity.
In Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK has approached the Supreme Court seeking the quashing of the October 27 notification issued by the Election Commission.
(ANI)