For many residents of Kolkata, the first day of 2024 was not about celebrations or resolutions for personal betterment. Instead, it was dedicated to securing a fundamental democratic right—the right to vote in the upcoming 2026 elections. Hundreds of electors and dedicated Booth Level Officers (BLOs) spent their New Year's holiday attending Special Summary Revision (SIR) hearings called by the Election Commission to verify citizenship documents.
A Day of Proof, Not Party
The scene at Rani Rashmoni High School on SN Banerjee Road was one of solemn purpose. About 300 electors appeared for hearings, armed with stacks of documents, having cancelled their plans for the holiday. For them, the priority was to resolve discrepancies in the electoral rolls to ensure their franchise remains intact.
One such citizen was Partho Pal from Ganguly Bagan. Despite submitting his enumeration form online with all details, he received a hearing notice. His voter card address was linked to his other house in the Taltala area under the Chowringhee assembly constituency. "I had to keep myself free throughout the day to be present for the hearing, upon which my voting right banks," Pal stated, highlighting the critical nature of the process.
Correcting Errors from the Past
The hearings aimed to rectify long-standing errors in the voter lists. Sana Parveen, a Taltala resident, was summoned due to a mapping error concerning her father's name in the 2002 SIR list. She had to produce documents to prove her lineage, cancelling a day out with friends. "I had to bring my documents and my father's to prove that the person to whom I was mapped as progeny was not a different person," she explained.
In another case, Rupali Biswas attended the hearing on behalf of her two sons, whose names were misspelt in the records. With her sons away celebrating the New Year, she carried an authorisation letter to represent them. These individual stories underscore the administrative hurdles citizens must overcome to participate in democracy.
BLOs: The Unsung Heroes of New Year's Day
The sacrifice was not limited to voters. Booth Level Officers across the city also cancelled their family plans for New Year celebrations, spending four to five hours at hearing venues or on field duty. One BLO present at the school venue noted, "Today being a holiday, more people came for the hearing. We also could not make any plan to celebrate the onset of the New Year with our families. Rather, we spent the whole day on hearing work."
Their duties extended beyond the hearing booths. Arup Mandal, a BLO from Tollygunge, spent his first day of the year delivering notices he had received on New Year's Eve. Joyita Biswas, a BLO from Manicktala, reported to her booth to assist people with the SIR task, forgoing any personal plans. Their collective effort highlights the extensive groundwork required to maintain accurate electoral rolls.
The events of January 1 in Kolkata paint a vivid picture of democratic diligence. While the world celebrated, a cross-section of the city's citizens and officials chose to invest their time in affirming citizenship and securing the future right to vote. This unusual start to the year underscores the enduring value placed on electoral participation and the complex, often personal, administrative machinery that supports it.
