An Election Commission of India (ECI) team led by Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti reviewed the preparedness of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal on Wednesday at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

West Bengal Assembly Elections are due next year. Ahead of that, the Election Commission has issued a message to prepare for SIR in the state vigorously. On Wednesday, the Commission officials held a virtual meeting with the District Magistrates of the state. They set a deadline of the next seven days for SIR preparation.

Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, Director General of the Commission’s IT Department Seema Khanna, Commission Secretary SB Joshi and Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agarwal were present in the meeting. They held a virtual meeting with the District Magistrates. However, the district magistrates of the affected areas of North Bengal were not physically present. Although North Bengal districts were exempted from Wednesday’s in-person meeting due to the recent natural disaster, officials from Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Malda joined via video conference

According to sources, the Commission officials spoke to the district magistrates about the exact stage of SIR preparation in West Bengal. They have been instructed to complete all the preparations within the next week. In addition, they have been asked to complete the preparation phase for printing the enumeration form.

Reports of alleged irregularities in the voter list also surfaced during the meeting. Bharti warned that any malpractice during the SIR process would invite strict action. “No one will be spared if complaints of malpractices are received. In Bihar, we have already taken tough measures,” he said.

Aadhaar card will not be treated as proof of citizenship during SIR in West Bengal

The ECI also clarified that the Aadhaar card will not be treated as proof of citizenship during the Special Intensive Revision, an official said. Both Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti and West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal responded at the meeting by citing the Supreme Court’s position that Aadhaar serves only as a proof of identity and not of citizenship.

How many voters in West Bengal?

It is worth noting that the total number of voters in Bengal is about 7.65 crore. Each voter will be given two forms. One of which will be submitted by the BLO and the other will be with the voter. Hence, at least 15 crore forms will be required. Soft copies of these forms will be sent from Delhi to every district administration. The responsibility of printing these forms has been given to the concerned district administration. They have been instructed to complete the preparation phase so that at least 30 percent of the forms can be printed within 4-5 days of the publication of the SIR notification.

Election Commission unhappy with SIR preparation progress in Bengal

Commission officials have reportedly expressed concern over the pace of work and questioned delays, despite the Puja holidays being cited by some districts. Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti rejected the justification, stressing the importance of keeping up with the national timeline.

“SIR is being conducted across the country, not just in Bengal. Other states have completed the task or are near completion. If West Bengal lags, it will create problems at the national level. Therefore, we cannot allow more than seven days,” Bharti told officials at the meeting.

Election Commission careful after complaints regarding SIR in Bihar

There have been numerous complaints about the SIR in Bihar. The role of the officials concerned has repeatedly been questioned. It is reported that action has already been taken by the Commission against those officials. A warning has also been issued by the Commission so that no such complaint should be made against the officials working in Bengal.

The ECI launched the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar in June 2025, with the draft electoral rolls being published on August 1, 2025. The revision process involves Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and volunteers conducting door-to-door visits to collect enumeration forms.

Following the publication of the draft rolls, a period for filing claims and objections continued from August 1 to September 1, 2025. The Election Commission said that the last SIR was held in Bihar in 2003. The last SIR was held in Bengal in 2002. The move by the commission aims to remove ineligible voters, including infiltrators, from the list. They said the amendment is to ensure that only eligible Indian citizens have the right to vote.

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