West Bengal SIR plans may be delayed as complaints vex 2002 voter list

Kolkata, August 15 — Facing a barrage of complaints over the recently released voter list for West Bengal — based on a 2002 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — the Election Commission (EC) is considering issuing a revised version.

Sources said the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal has written to the EC seeking clearance to cross-check the 2002 list with the one prepared in 2003, and publish a consolidated roll.

The 2002 SIR, released district-wise between late July and last week, pegged Bengal’s electorate at 4.58 crore across 80,000 polling booths, with 28 lakh names deleted. Opposition parties have questioned the exercise’s credibility, pointing to missing and erroneous data.

In South 24 Parganas’ Kulpi Assembly seat, the voter list for the entire constituency was absent, officials confirmed. Lists for 100 booths in Gaighata (North 24 Parganas) and several in South 24 Parganas, Birbhum, and Howrah were also missing. Over 1,000 booths had voter data but no polling centre names, while some booth names were outdated or incorrect. Post-2009 delimitation changes have further complicated the records.

The CEO’s office said tallying the 2002 and 2003 lists could serve as a reference for future revisions, but this may delay the new SIR. Training for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) has already begun, with the EC revising their remuneration.

Opposition parties have accused the EC of bias. TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee called the SIR “Scientific Invisible Rigging” and alleged the EC was acting as a “tool of the BJP”. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty echoed the charge, claiming the poll body was “working as agents of the BJP”.

With Bengal heading for elections early next year — and Bihar’s ongoing SIR mired in controversy — the EC’s next move on the voter list could be a political flashpoint.