Kolkata: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal has entered a crucial phase, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) striving to ensure maximum transparency and accuracy ahead of the pivotal 2026 Assembly elections. As part of the SIR process, officials have fanned out across the state’s urban wards and rural clusters, checking voter lists for duplicate, ineligible, or allegedly bogus entries—a move that has stirred strong political reactions and close monitoring by party cadres.
In public, the Trinamool Congress has decided to target the Election Commission and the BJP’s top leadership in an effort to turn the confusion and despair of voters into public anger. Already, party leaders have gone into overdrive to blame the poll panel and the BJP for the purported suicides of at least 17 people in the past 10 days since the rollout of SIR. The party’s resolve to mobilise public support hides the apprehension that SIR may result in large-scale deletion of names from the voters’ list.
In addition to the public posturing, party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has announced a slew of proactive measures to maintain close vigil over the Election Commission and its foot soldiers—the Booth-Level Officers (BLOs). Last Friday, at a marathon virtual meeting attended by about 18,000 TMC leaders and workers, Banerjee declared the SIR revision an “acid test” for his party’s resolve to protect the Constitutional rights of Bengal’s citizens. He accused the BJP of seeking to “divide Bengal and disenfranchise minorities, Matuas, and poor voters,” warning that the voter list revision, announced on October 27, is being used to manipulate the rolls ahead of the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.
Citing widespread reports of names vanishing from the electoral rolls in Natabari, Mathabhanga, Ashoknagar, and Basirhat—with entire stretches, such as Basirhat’s S. No. 859-892, blank in the online records—Banerjee alleged a coordinated “Silent Invisible Rigging” targeting Bengali voters under bureaucratic cover. His message to functionaries was clear: “No legitimate voter from Bengal should be disenfranchised through this SIR process.”
Across districts, teams of Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists have established a network of vigilance around the Block Level Officers deployed by the ECI. Trinamool’s local units have deployed coordinators to maintain constant watch over revision activities, especially in politically sensitive areas with significant minority or migrant populations. Party workers, often operating in shifts at every booth and ward, have reportedly been collecting data on ECI movements and challenging attempts to strike off names they claim are genuine residents.
Special outreach efforts have been ordered in districts with high minority populations such as Malda and Murshidabad—focusing on protecting the rights of migrant workers—alongside targeted interventions in tea estate regions of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, and legal cells formed in East Midnapore, the home turf of the TMC’s bete-noire and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. TMC’s strategy appears to focus on pre-empting what it describes as “targeted deletion” of voters based on allegations raised by rival parties. “We will not allow legitimate Bengal residents, especially minorities and the poor, to be erased from the voters’ list due to political vendetta,” said a senior TMC block president in North 24 Parganas, reflecting widespread concerns that SIR could become an instrument of exclusion rather than objectivity.
While Trinamool activists maintain a robust presence at special SIR assistance booths set up by the party in all wards and around BLOs, reports indicate that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) representing Opposition parties—most notably the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM)—have been conspicuously rare. BLOs in South Kolkata and Birbhum, for instance, confirmed that BJP booth-level agents are conspicuously absent. Sources inside rival parties attribute the thin attendance to various factors—including internal factionalism, difficulties in mobilising volunteers, and apprehension about facing public hostility or administrative hurdles in strong TMC bastions. CPM’s district leaders admitted that the party’s organisational network remains limited, resulting in patchy representation and sporadic follow-up on SIR developments.
Political analysts point out that such absenteeism could make it harder for Opposition parties to contest questionable deletions, defend the legitimacy of their supporter bases, or flag discrepancies as swiftly as Trinamool operatives. “The revision process is highly technical and requires sustained engagement at the booth level. Without agents on the ground, complaints from Opposition parties risk being underrepresented,” said an election researcher from Jadavpur University.
Amid the intensifying SIR exercise, contention over deletions has reached fever pitch. TMC activists have publicly confronted BLOs over individual cases, alleging that names are being struck off based on incomplete investigations or partisan motivations. Social media posts and local news reports have documented protests at multiple polling stations, with Trinamool alleging “intimidation and arbitrary scrutiny” by sector officers, especially where Opposition claims of illegal migrants are most vocal. Meanwhile, BJP and CPM leaders allege that their agents face obstruction or subtle harassment when attempting to intervene in the process. “Our volunteers are either blocked from entering SIR hearings, or their requests for documents and explanations are disregarded,” claimed a BJP MLA from Howrah. “In any case, many, if not most, of the BLOs are Trinamool activists. When the BLO list was being finalised, the Trinamool used its network of pliant BDOs to fill the list with their activists or their close relatives.” Despite such allegations, their parties have yet to mount any concerted outreach or monitoring operations matching the Trinamool’s presence.
Against this backdrop, the Election Commission has insisted that the SIR revision will be carried out impartially, with all parties given scope for objections and redressal. ECI officials have urged all stakeholders to participate fully in hearings and submit any evidence required to prevent wrongful deletions or additions. Civil society organisations and election watchdogs have called for greater scrutiny, warning that the absence of Opposition BLAs risks compromising the integrity of revision outcomes. “It is essential that every party ensures close monitoring—otherwise the process could be open to charges of bias or excess,” cautioned a state-level activist involved with voter rights initiatives.
As West Bengal’s SIR process rolls forward, the vigilance of Trinamool Congress activists—and the striking absence of Opposition booth agents—has put the spotlight on the intensifying battle for the state’s electoral lists. With Assembly elections due next year, how the revision unfolds and is contested will set the tone for the political contest ahead.
