In a shocking development, almost 3.5 lakh out of the 31.68 lakh voters in West Bengal have failed to appear for the SIR hearings on the dates designated by the Election Commission which were mentioned in the notices served on them. These are the people whose names have been missing in the 2002 electoral rolls, the last time when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) happened in West Bengal.

The initial deadline for the hearings for unmapped voters ended on Thursday. However, the Election Commission has announced an extension till February 7 but there is speculation that bogus voters still exist on the post-SIR draft rolls.
Poll panel officials said those who had not appeared for hearings would have a chance to do so if they applied to the BLOs for slots by February 7. But for this, they will have to cite a valid reason why they had missed the previous date.

Over 100 fictitious voters found in every segment in sample survey

Before the SIR began, the chief electoral officer’s office of West Bengal had conducted a sample survey of the electoral rolls in four Assembly segments — Baruipur East, Rajarhat-Gopalpur, Moyna and Nandakumar. The survey showed that more than 100 fictitious voters had been included in each of the Assembly segments between April and July last year by four officials assigned to add people to the electoral rolls after verification.

Based on these findings, the commission had asked the Bengal chief secretary to suspend and lodge FIRs against these four officials — the two election registration officers and two assistant EROs for Baruipur East and Moyna.

SIR in West Bengal

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process began in West Bengal in the last week of October 2025. The work is being carried out based on the 2002 voter list, as that was the year the last intensive revision of the voter list took place. The National Election Commission is undertaking this process again in 12 states, including West Bengal, before the 2026 elections.

According to the Election Commission’s rules, voters whose names are not on the 2002 voter list can apply to have their names included by submitting the necessary documents at the SIR hearing. Additionally, documents must be submitted to the Election Commission to correct existing discrepancies or errors if any.

Mamata Banerjee lashes out at Centre and Election Commission over SIR

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once again lashed out at the central government and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Friday. Speaking from the Netaji commemoration stage in Kolkata on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, she questioned, “If Netaji were alive, would he also have had to prove his citizenship?”

Today, January 23, is the birthday of Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. As every year, the day is being celebrated in various parts of the country. The state government also organised an event to pay tribute to him. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present at the Netaji commemoration stage on Kolkata’s Red Road.

Incidentally, the Trinamool Congress has repeatedly alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission have conspired to remove voters’ names under the guise of the SIR. Later, allegations of harassment of the elderly and the sick during the hearings were also raised. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written several letters to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, appealing for a solution to the problem.

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