In a key development ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled a high-level visit to West Bengal to assess the state’s readiness for the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, along with Seema Khanna, Director General (IT), and other senior ECI officials, will conduct a comprehensive review of ongoing voter list revision activities and related poll arrangements.
According to reports, the visit will begin on October 8 with a video conference involving all District Magistrates, Additional District Magistrates (Elections), Sub-Divisional Officers, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and Officer-in-Charge (Elections). The meeting will be conducted through the National Informatics Centre (NIC) network across districts.
The conference, to be presided over by Bharti, will primarily focus on key SIR-related tasks, including:
1. Mapping of 2002 and 2025 electoral rolls.
2. Appointment and training of Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
3. Arrangement of printers, forms, and enumeration materials.
4. Identification of volunteers to assist BLOs.
5. Preparation of BLO kits.
6. Review of pending Form 6, 7, and 8 applications.
7. Addressing complaints related to booth rationalisation and BLO appointments.
Officials have been instructed to attend the meeting through the Bharat VC link from their respective district or sub-divisional headquarters to ensure full participation and prompt coordination.
Following the conference, Bharti and his team will conduct on-ground reviews starting with North 24 Parganas district. On October 8, they will meet election officials from Rajarhat New Town and Rajarhat Gopalpur Assembly Constituencies at the Zilla Parishad Auditorium in Rajarhat, Kolkata, at 2:30 PM, followed by interactions with officers from Barasat.
The following day, October 9, the ECI delegation will move to East Medinipur, where meetings are scheduled with election officials from Purba Medinipur, Bankura, and Jhargram districts to review the ongoing poll preparedness and coordination at the district level.
As per a News18 report, the Summary Intensive Revision process is expected to be implemented later this month, marking a crucial stage in the build-up to the state assembly elections. The revision is aimed at updating and purifying electoral rolls by removing duplicates, verifying existing voters, and enrolling new eligible citizens.
The visit comes at a time when the Election Commission is underlining strict adherence to transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the voter roll management process. It follows recent developments in Bengal, including complaints regarding BLO appointments and booth rationalisation. Earlier, the ECI had directed that no casual or contractual employees should be appointed as BLOs if permanent staff were available in a district.
The Department of Election in Bengal has also been asked to ensure adequate training for officials, streamlined verification, and the smooth implementation of voter roll updates in line with the upcoming SIR exercise.
The 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal are expected to be closely contested, and the ongoing preparations are seen as pivotal in ensuring free, fair, and credible polls.
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