Kolkata witnessed a flurry of activity over the weekend as the December 4 deadline for submitting Special Intensive Revision enumeration forms approaches. The city saw intensified efforts from various stakeholders to ensure maximum form submission before the cutoff date.
City-Wide Mobilization Efforts
Booth level officers, political workers, religious leaders, and residents' associations across Kolkata significantly ramped up their outreach activities during the final weekend. The heightened activity came as many voters had yet to submit their SIR enumeration forms, which began distribution on November 4.
Officials and volunteers described the final weekend as crucial, with a substantial number of households either delaying form completion or remaining unreachable during earlier visits. The SIR drive requires voters to verify or update their details before submission, making this final push particularly important for electoral accuracy.
Multi-Pronged Outreach Strategies
Political parties across the spectrum mobilized their grassroots workers to make announcements in congested neighborhoods using autos. Several religious figures utilized their platforms, urging congregations after Friday prayers to complete the exercise promptly.
In numerous housing complexes, residents' associations circulated reminders through social media groups and established small help desks to assist with form submission. Samir Gupta of the New Town Citizens' Welfare Fraternity explained their approach: "Most people are at home on weekends. People will be free to fill up and submit forms." His association set up a community-center camp where volunteers actively helped residents complete and submit their forms.
Targeted Area Initiatives
Specific neighborhoods saw particularly organized efforts. Serazul Karim, vice-president of the South Kolkata TMC Minority Cell, detailed their strategy: "We wanted to use the weekend to collect as many pending forms as possible, so we set up special camps from Saturday morning in pockets of Kiddrpore, Ekbalpore, and Bhukailash." His team also organized a brief street-corner meeting on Friday to alert residents about the approaching deadline.
In parts of Salt Lake and New Town, BLOs reported ongoing challenges in locating some individuals. A Salt Lake BLO mentioned conducting verification rounds on Saturday to determine whether missing residents had relocated or if other reasons caused the delay.
Religious leaders framed the exercise as essential civic responsibility. Maulana Shafique Qasmi of Nakhoda Mosque emphasized, "No one should treat this casually. Every voter must complete the form and submit it on time."
Meanwhile, in Burrabazar and Posta, BJP workers made phone calls to voters. Anup Jaiwal, a BJP mandal prabhari in Posta, noted that many individuals who moved to other parts of Kolkata or Howrah had not submitted their forms yet.
The collective efforts represent one of the most comprehensive voter verification drives in recent times, with all stakeholders recognizing the importance of meeting the December 4 deadline for accurate electoral rolls.
