Newz Desk, Durgapur: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, mandated by the Election Commission of India across 12 states, is progressing rapidly, with West Bengal emerging as the fourth-best performing state in terms of timely completion. Lakshadweep, Goa and Rajasthan occupy the first three positions.
According to official sources from Paschim Bardhaman district, 2,76,295 voter names may be deleted from the rolls as part of the ongoing SIR process. These include voters who are either deceased, missing, or have shifted from their registered addresses. The number comprises 1,76,383 shifted/missing voters and 93,138 deceased voters—amounting to nearly 11.87% of the district’s total electorate of 23,25,281.
DEO, Observer Hold All-Party Meeting
On Wednesday evening, District Election Officer (DEO) and District Magistrate S. Ponnambalam and SIR Observer Smita Pandey convened an all-party meeting at the District Magistrate’s office in Kalyanpur, Asansol. Representatives of all Election Commission-recognised political parties were present.
Following the meeting, officials addressed the media, clarifying that BLOs (Booth Level Officers) made up to 10 visits—far more than the mandated three—to trace the voters flagged as doubtful, but no confirmation could be established. Officials stressed that these names are unlikely to appear in the draft list.
However, they also emphasised that the draft list will be made public, allowing citizens to file claims and objections before finalisation.
99% Form Distribution Completed
The DEO announced that over 99% of enumeration forms have been distributed under the SIR exercise, and digitisation work is progressing steadily across the district’s nine Assembly segments.
Assembly-wise SIR Progress
- Pandabeswar: 99% distribution, 87% digitisation
- Durgapur (East): 99.90% distribution, 88% digitisation
- Durgapur (West): 99.92% distribution, 86% digitisation
- Raniganj: 99.93% distribution, 85.05% digitisation
- Jamuria: 99.96% distribution, 84.76% digitisation
- Asansol (South): 99.83% distribution, 85% digitisation
- Asansol (North): 99.94% distribution, 81.29% digitisation
- Kulti: 99.85% distribution, 83.55% digitisation
- Barabani: 99.92% distribution, 85.61% digitisation
With nearly 12% of voter names potentially being removed, political observers say the updated rolls could have a significant impact on the upcoming Assembly elections.
Image courtesy@internet
