West Bengal SIR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has approved the use of tea garden and cinchona plantation employment records as valid documents for identifying residents of seven districts in North Bengal in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). In an official letter dated January 11, 2026, addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the poll body conveyed that it has “no objection” to the state election authority’s proposal to accept these documents. 

“I am directed to refer to you letter No. 5163-Home (Elec)/R3E-73/2025 dated 31.12.2025 and to state that the Commission has no objection to the proposal for the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur," the order read.

ALSO READ: X Admits Mistake Over Grok Content, Assures Indian Government Of Legal Compliance

West Bengal SIR: Rule Applicable In THESE Districts

The rule applies to the district of:

  • Darjeeling

  • Kalimpong

  • Jalpaiguri

  • Cooch Behar

  • Alipurduar

  • North Dinajpur

  • South Dinajpur

ALSO READ: 'No More Oil Or Money': Trump Urges Cuba To Strike Deal With US 'Before It's Too Late'

Why Did Poll Bodies Allow An Exception For North Bengal?

The move by the election authorities comes amid repeated appeals from BJP leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. According to BJP leaders, if the poll body did not accept the plantation records as valid proof of identity and residence, there was a risk that these individuals would be excluded from the SIR process. 

Recommended For You

Tea garden workers, largely from Adivasi and Gorkha communities, constitute a significant electoral base in North Bengal and have faced difficulties in providing proper documents for residency for voter registration for a long time. 

BJP Leaders Applaud Poll Body’s Decision

The West Bengal Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, applauded the decision of the pol agency. “This approval applies to the districts of North Bengal, where our hardworking tribal & forest-dwelling people and plantation workers have long been deprived of their democratic rights due to documentation hurdles and the state government’s negligence," the BJP leader said in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.

He also urged that all the eligible voters in the area should enrol themselves in the electoral roll using the plantation employment documents. 

BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya also welcomed the decision of the poll body and wrote that “this is not just an administrative decision, it is a restoration of dignity and voting rights to thousands who were deliberately kept out of the system."


Also In News