West Bengal gears up for a major update to its voter rolls next month, following Bihar’s lead with a Special Intensive Revision, or SIR. This process aims to keep the state’s electoral list accurate and up-to-date.
To tackle a key challenge, the new SIR forms include a dedicated section for migrant workers from West Bengal who are earning a living in other states. These workers will need to declare on the form that their names aren’t already on voter lists elsewhere—especially in the states where they’ve moved for jobs. “This step ensures no one ends up registered in more than one place,” explained a source from the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
The state has already kicked off printing these forms. Every voter will receive two copies: one to keep for their records, and the other to hand over to their local booth-level officer, or BLO, who helps manage the voter list at the grassroots level.
This SIR builds on West Bengal’s last big revision back in 2002. Officials estimate around 2.2 million migrant workers from the state, though many believe the real number is even higher. With such a large group involved, the CEO’s office is pulling out all the stops to make the voter list verification process smooth and secure.
BLOs, the frontline heroes in this electoral drive, are getting extra attention. The office is focusing on their training, behavior, and safety during door-to-door checks. They’ve received clear orders: if they run into any pushback, interference from political groups, or lack of cooperation—even from local officials—they must report it straight to the CEO’s team right away.
This overhaul comes as West Bengal works to strengthen its democracy, ensuring every eligible voice counts without duplicates or errors in the voter rolls.
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