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Impending SIR in West Bengal and its nitty gritty
Opinion | Articles | Isaac Harold Gomes | 28-Oct-2025
According to Anandabazar.com (24.10.2025), the Election Commission of India (ECI) is on the verge of finalising its preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Voters’ List of West Bengal which goes to polls (Assembly Elections) in 2026. It has planned to complete the revision of voters’ list to ensure the West Bengal elections are held based on the final voters’ list of the SIR. This process was adopted for Bihar Assembly Elections (scheduled to be held on 6 and 11 November 2025). On 27th evening the ECI announced that SIR takes effect from 28 October 2025 in nine states including West Bengal and four union territories. All District Election Officers (DEOs) have been instructed to stay on their toes to facilitate/oversee the enumeration of voters from 04.11.2025 to 04.12.2025.
WHY ‘SIR’ ALL ON A SUDDEN?
Every year, the ECI revises the voters’ list by (1) registering new voters (based on Form 6), (2) excluding the names of dead and fake/illegal voters and (3) publishing a new list based on (1) and (2). But it feels the process isn’t error-free and that the loopholes need to be plugged. One reason is in the last 10-15 years, the ECI hasn’t conducted any in-depth scanning and revision of voters’ list in the entire country. In West Bengal the last such exercise was done in 2002. Hence it was felt an SIR needs to be conducted and publish a new list ensuring no genuine voter is left out and not a single illegal voter is on the List. Regarding the revision now, the ECI says that there is no hard and fast timeline for SIR and that it can be done whenever deemed necessary. The opposition parties including Congress and Trinamool, however, say that SIR is nothing but the 'BJP's brainchild’ to disenfranchise voters. That is why SIR is being done after so many years. On the other hand, the BJP believes that about one crore intruders/infiltrators entered India from Bangladesh and Myanmar are on the voters’ list of this country and naturally they need to be identified and deleted from the voters’ list. 3D policy of Detect, Delete and Deport.
WHAT ARE THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED?
As per ECI sources, SIR in West Bengal will be conducted in the same way as it was done in Bihar, barring a few changes. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will deliver an 'Enumeration Form' to every voter’s (as on 2025) house. Along with that form, any of the 11 documents specified by the ECI must be submitted. Voters whose names are in the 2002 voters’ list in West Bengal, will not have to submit any documents and their names will be straightaway included/uploaded in the SIR list. Besides the 11 specific documents, for SIR, the Supreme Court of India has said that Aadhaar card should also be accepted as the 12th document as a proof of identity. The ECI has said that if any of those 11 documents and the name of the father or mother in the 2002 list can be proved, the name will be included in the new list.
WHAT ARE THE 11 DOCUMENTS SPECIFIED BY THE ELECTION COMMISSION?
- Identity card showing that you have worked as a central or state government employee or are receiving a pension
- Any document issued by a bank, post office, LIC, local administration before July 1, 1987.
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- Secondary or Higher Secondary Educational Certificate (Madhyamik, ICSE, Ucchya Madhyamik, ISC, SSE or SSC).
- Residence certificate issued by the competent authority of the State Government
- Forest Rights Certificate
- Caste/OBC Certificate
- Smart Card issued by the Registrar General of India (RGI) under the National Population Register (NPR)
- Family Register issued by the local administration
- Land or house title deed.
According to a Supreme Court order (of Monday 08.09.2025), claim forms for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can be submitted with either any of the 11 originally listed documents OR an Aadhaar card as a proof of identity. The Supreme Court emphasized that the goal of the SIR is "mass inclusion" and not exclusion, and urged the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar and EPIC as valid identity documents. This means that Aadhaar card can be submitted as a stand-alone document for inclusion in the voters list. So, there is a clear gap between the Supreme Court version and the ECI version.
WHO WILL GET THE ENUMERATION FORM?
After SIR is announced, the ECI will send from Delhi, a 'soft copy' of the Enumeration Form to the portal of the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). After that, these forms will go for printing. Everyone whose name is in the current voters’ list will get the enumeration form. 90% of the voter's information, including his/her EPIC number, name, address, date of birth, will be printed on the form. The commission will print two enumeration forms for each voter. Currently, out of an estimated population of 10.56 crore, the number of voters in West Bengal is about 7.65 crore. Based on this figure, 15.30 Enumeration Forms will be printed. The BLOs will deliver the forms to each voter's home. The blank portions of the form will have to be filled in and submitted along with the appropriate documents. One form will remain with the concerned voter. The other (counterpart) will be collected by the BLO.
WHOSE NAMES ARE LIKELY TO BE DELETED FROM SIR’s VOTERS’ LIST?
The ECI may delete the names of voters whose names do not appear in the 2002 voters list and who have failed to prove their Indian citizenship by providing one of the 11 documents specified by ECI. The names of all deceased and illegal voters will also be deleted. Names of those who have migrated elsewhere or whose names are in two places with two EPIC numbers will be deleted from one state. Those who have got enrolled as voters by false documents are 'illegal voters' (mainly illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar). The commission believes that even if any of the 11 documents can be created by tampering, the persons concerned will not be able to show the names of their fathers or mothers in the 2002 voters’ list. Naturally, then questions will arise about their citizenship. If they cannot prove that they are citizens of India, their names will be deleted.
HOW MANY NAMES COULD BE DELETED FROM VOTERS’ LIST IN WEST BENGAL?
Some officials estimate that close to one crore names could be deleted from the final Voter’s List. Their hunch is that if every year (from 2002 to 2025) is considered, the total of voters who have died and gone elsewhere will be at least 75 lakh. In addition, if illegal voters in the last 23 years are considered, the number could exceed one crore. However, this is a ballpark figure.
CAN NEW VOTERS’ NAMES BE REGISTERED?
Yes. People whose names are not in the current voters’ list, will have to register their names by applying in Form No. 6 of the ECI. They will not get an SIR enumeration form.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ONE DOESN’T PARTICIPATE IN SIR?
If a voter doesn’t participate in SIR, his/her name will be removed from the new list to be published by ECI in 2026; and will not be able to vote in the next assembly elections. Therefore, participation in SIR is not optional.
WHAT IS SIR ‘MAPPING’?
From 4.58 crore listed voters in 2002 in West Bengal, the current voters’ list shows 7.65 crore - an increase of three crore. Based on this, the ECI, through its DLOs, EROs and BLOs, will do mapping of voters whose names are both in 2002 and 2025 voters’ list. Those whose names are in both the lists have been ‘mapped’ that is, they have been identified as genuine voters and Indian citizens including their family members. No document is required as proof of their citizenship. Although 'mapping' is being done in Bengal, the ECI didn’t do this in Bihar.
WHERE CAN THE LIST OF 2002 BE FOUND?
The list has been published on the CEO website https://ceowestbengal.nic.in/roll_dist. The list is published according to the then assembly constituency. Voters can check whether their names are included in the polling station. If necessary, voters can take help from the booth level agents of the political parties.
HOW WILL THE SIR LIST BE PUBLISHED?
In the case of Bihar SIR, the ECI completed the main work within a month. After that, the Draft Voters’ List was published. The ECI then checked whether there were any mistakes or complaints on deletion of names from the draft voters’ list. The final list was published about a month after the draft list. The same procedure will be followed in West Bengal.
(The contributor is a member of the Indian Catholic Press Association, a social activist, and a freelance journalist. He writes for different publications on various issues. He can be reached @ isaac25gomes@gmail.com. Views expressed are personal)
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