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SIR voter revision Problems: What’s Going Wrong in West Bengal
West Bengal has launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but the initiative is causing confusion and concern among both citizens and officials. The challenges stem from the sheer scale of the task, tight deadlines, and digital issues, all of which are creating uncertainty for voters and Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The Army-style exercise kicked off in early November 2025, focusing on the enumeration of over 76 million voters in the state. On the very first day, approximately 80,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) delivered 1.8 million enumeration forms to households throughout West Bengal. In the following weeks, form distribution saw significant improvement, with an average of 85.7% of forms distributed across various districts. However, Kolkata North fell behind, achieving only 66%.
Key Issues for Voters
Many voters report that enumerating their details correctly is proving difficult. For one, the qualifying criteria link to the older 2002 electoral rolls, which means many younger or relocated voters have to navigate a complex “matching-mapping” process to establish their eligibility. For example, if a parent’s name appears in the 2002 roll, a new voter may be included automatically; otherwise they face hearings and extra verification.
At the ground level, issues such as mismatched photos, outdated addresses, and language errors are turning into major road-blocks. Some voters say their online submissions show “form not uploaded” or reflect someone else’s mobile number. The official portal, while functional, is still new to many, leading to multiple visits to help centres to fix glitches.
Challenges for BLOs and Administration
On the other side, BLOs are under steep pressure. According to the state Chief Electoral Officer, close to 99% of BLOs are actively at work, but they say the workload is heavy, especially in areas with poor internet connectivity or outdated data. The Economic Times Digital-app glitches have added to delays: in some zones, enumeration apps run slowly or crash, forcing manual backup.
The matching of 2002 data with 2025 rolls is also incomplete in many districts, which means verification is slowed. The Times of India Officials say that when the basic “matched” list is not ready, the rest of the revision struggles, and this slows the draft roll publication scheduled for early December.
What’s the Impact?
For first-time voters, senior citizens and people who recently shifted houses, this uncertainty is stressful. Many worry their names will be excluded if they fail to upload forms correctly or on time. One key fear: the system’s failure might lead to exclusion despite being eligible. At the same time, BLOs say that delays could affect the timeline for the upcoming assembly elections, expected in 2026.
What Needs to Be Done?
Election officials admit that though the SIR aims for more accurate and fraud-free voter rolls, the current bottlenecks require urgent attention. Simplification of the form, extension of deadlines in low-connectivity zones, and strengthening server capacity are cited as immediate fixes. Experts say special help desks, increased digital-literacy camps for voters, and offline backup support can ease the pressure.
Conclution
The SIR process is a massive administrative exercise, and while its objectives are valid, the execution in West Bengal is facing serious implementation challenges. If these hurdles are not addressed swiftly, there is a risk of eligible voters being left out and administrative delays escalating. For now, both the voters and BLOs await the next phase of verification with cautious optimism.
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