West Bengal SIR Draft Electoral Roll: Here Are The Steps To Take If Your Name Is Missing

West Bengal’s draft electoral roll has shrunk significantly after election authorities removed 58 lakh names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The exercise was intended to clean up the duplication of voters, and omit factual errors.

The largest share of deletions comprised voters recorded as deceased, followed by those who had relocated, those untraceable during verification and a smaller number found to be listed more than once.

With the draft electoral roll now in the public domain, the first leg of the SIR has formally concluded. Individuals missing from the list have been allowed to lodge objections and apply for corrections. 

Once this process is complete, the final roll will be published in February, paving the way for the announcement of the West Bengal assembly election timetable. The state last undertook a similar revision more than two decades ago.

The release of the draft electoral roll is expected to further sharpen the political row in West Bengal over SIR. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the exercise, alleging that the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) are using it to strike off the names of hundreds of thousands of legitimate voters ahead of the polls.

The Centre-ruling BJP has countered the Trinamool Congress’s criticism by claiming that Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to SIR is driven by an attempt to shield what it describes as an illegal immigrant vote bank.

The Trinamool Congress has also criticised the Election Commission following reports that several Booth Level Officers (BLOs) died by suicide, allegedly under intense work-related pressure.

During the SIR exercise, BLOs delivered printed enumeration forms to every registered voter. According to the EC, individuals who returned signed forms, including those partially completed, have been included in the draft roll, with the accuracy of their details yet to be checked.

Voters can check the draft electoral roll on the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal website or on the ECI’s portal.

Voters who do not find their names on the draft electoral roll can seek inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with Annexure-IV. The process can be completed by following a few steps.  

• Fill the Form 6 along with Annexure-IV and submit it to the local Booth Level Officer (BLO). 

• You can also visit the local BLO office to submit the documents.

• For online submission, visit the ECI’s voter portal: voters.eci.gov.in.

• The documents can also be uploaded using the E-NET mobile app.