Kolkata, 02 November (H.S.). The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a new measure to improve the accuracy of West Bengal’s electoral rolls. Voters whose forms remain incomplete or unsubmitted during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process will be placed in a separate list.

According to an election official, the draft voter list is scheduled for publication on December 9. However, before that date, the Commission will identify and categorize unverified entries as deceased, fake, or shifted voters. Authorities said the initiative aims to prevent genuine voters from unexpectedly finding their names missing from the rolls. The announcement comes amid rising political tensions over the revision process.

The Trinamool Congress has warned it will hold street demonstrations if legitimate voters are excluded from the final list.

The SIR exercise is being conducted in three phases. Starting November 4, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit households to distribute and collect voter registration forms. The second phase will involve the publication of the draft list, after which voters and political parties can file objections related to spelling errors, address changes, or wrongful omissions.In the final phase, the Electoral Registration Officer will review all objections and issue final decisions. The completed voter list is expected to be published by March 2026.

The last Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal was conducted in 2002.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh