The percentage of West Bengal voters who cannot be matched to the 2002 Special Intensive Revision list has decreased significantly, dropping from 4.3% to just 3.5% in the past three days. This improvement comes as the December 4 deadline for the first phase of the SIR process rapidly approaches.
Massive Voter Data Collection Underway
Election officials have made substantial progress in the voter enumeration drive, with 6.7 crore voter forms already collected and digitized across the state. However, with Bengal's total voter base standing at 7.6 crore, approximately 90 lakh enumeration forms remain uncollected and undigitized by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The 2002 Special Intensive Revision serves as the foundational year for mapping family connections of current voters. Those voters whose names cannot be successfully mapped to the 2002 list will be called for hearings starting December 9, where they must present valid documentation to establish their eligibility.
Revealing Statistics on Absentee Voters
A detailed analysis of the 35.2 lakh forms returned unsigned to BLOs reveals striking patterns. The largest category consists of 18.7 lakh deceased voters, representing 53.1% of the total unsigned forms. The second largest group comprises 11.4 lakh voters who have permanently relocated from West Bengal.
Other significant categories include 3.8 lakh untraceable voters and a relatively small number of 77,565 duplicate voter entries. These figures highlight the extensive cleanup operation underway in Bengal's electoral rolls.
Urgent Warning from Election Officials
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has issued a strict warning to all voters who have not yet submitted their enumeration forms. "If voters fail to submit their forms by December 4, their names will be classified as 'uncollectible'," Agarwal stated emphatically.
Voters who miss the December 4 deadline will face additional hurdles. After December 9, they will need to complete Form 6 afresh to be included in the final Bengal electoral roll, which is scheduled for publication on February 9.
During a Saturday meeting with newly-appointed special roll observer Subrata Gupta and twelve other roll observers, Agarwal highlighted that significant numbers of urban voters in several key areas have yet to submit their SIR forms. The affected regions include North 24 Parganas, Siliguri, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, North Kolkata, and South Kolkata.
The Election Commission, in a post-meeting statement, urgently appealed to "eligible citizens in these regions to complete their enumeration formalities promptly to avoid being left out of the voter list".
Political Scrutiny and BLO Protests
The voter enumeration process has drawn political attention, particularly in Falta where observers Gupta and C Murghnan (responsible for south Kolkata and South 24-Parganas) plan to interact with officers and political parties. The BJP has consistently alleged an unusual voter surge in Falta between 2021 and 2024, while Trinamool Congress maintains that a 4% voter growth over four years falls within normal parameters.
The meeting at Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hall concluded with dramatic scenes as newly appointed observers and the CEO encountered street protests by aggrieved BLOs. The protesters included Ferdosi Begun, whose 55-year-old husband Jakir Hussain—a school teacher—died of a heart attack on Thursday night.
Ferdosi, accompanied by members of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, sought a personal meeting with the CEO to demand compensation, alleging that her husband's death resulted directly from "an unplanned, insensitive and disproportionate workload imposed on the EC's orders".
The protesting BLOs raised slogans against the CEO and lay down in front of his vehicle as police struggled to remove them. They were eventually dragged away, allowing Agarwal to reach his NS Road office approximately 50 meters away under police protection. Later, Agarwal met with Ferdosi in his office, where she formally submitted her deputation regarding her husband's tragic death.
