• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

West Bengal SIR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, following a similar exercise in Bihar. To prepare for this process, the ECI has asked the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to submit a report by August 29 on the current status of vacant positions for Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.

According to sources within the CEO's office, the report could not be submitted on time due to some pending work. The report is expected to be submitted within the next one or two days, jagran.com reported.

ALSO READ: MP: Government School Teacher Seen Torturing Six-Year-Old In Viral Video, Suspended

TMC Opposes SIR In West Bengal

The state government led by Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly opposed SIR in West Bengal. Recently, speaking at the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad foundation day on Wednesday, Mamata accused rival BJP of trying to 'omit names' from voter lists. She further said that TMC will not give an inch when it comes to Special Intensive Exercise (SIR) in Bengal.

The BJP has brought over 500 teams to Bengal from other states to conduct surveys for omitting the names of voters. Don’t give any information to unknown persons who come to your doorstep and ask anything. They may try to do NRC in the name of SIR. But as long as I live, I will not allow them to delete a single voter in Bengal,” Mamata said in the rally

New Booths For Areas With Over 1200 Voters

Earlier, the Election Commission had directed that new polling booths would need to be created in areas where the number of voters exceeded 1,200 per booth. Currently, there are over 80,000 polling booths in West Bengal. It is anticipated that once new booths are established in the state, this number will likely surpass 94,000.

The Election Commission's directive aims to ensure that voters can exercise their franchise without difficulty and that polling booths are manageable for both voters and polling personnel. With the creation of new booths, the overall number is expected to increase significantly, improving the voting experience for West Bengal's electorate due to some pending work. The report is expected to be submitted within the next one or two days.

ALSO READ: PM Modi Departs For China to Attend SCO Summit After Concluding Japan Visit | Watch

Concern Over SIR Exercise

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has expressed concerns that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, if not handled sensitively, could disenfranchise a large number of poor and marginalized people. He emphasized the importance of a just and inclusive approach, pointing out that many individuals lack proper documentation and are often excluded from the electoral process.