West Bengal CEO stays mum on SIR, holds training session for booth-level officers

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal convened a divisional-level training session and meeting with election officials at Kolkata’s Nazrul Manch on Saturday (July 26, 2025), amid speculation that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may be conducted in the State, similar to the process underway in Bihar.

The training, organised for Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Supervisors and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from various Assembly constituencies, comes ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for 2026.

However, addressing queries from journalists on whether an SIR would be undertaken for West Bengal’s electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said that any such decision lies with the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“If SIR happens, the ECI will notify. Whether SIR will happen, when it will happen, when it will be declared — these are not in my jurisdiction,” Mr. Agarwal said.

Notably, the CEO West Bengal website currently displays the 2002 electoral roll of certain districts of West Bengal from the last SIR in the State, a detail that gains relevance in the context of Bihar, where the 2003 roll has been set as a reference point for submission of identification documents in the ongoing SIR.

Clarifying further, Mr. Agarwal added that each BLO is expected to conduct one SIR in their service tenure, but the training conducted on Saturday should not be construed as an indication of an impending SIR in the State.

“Every BLO has to conduct one SIR in their lifetime. SIRs have been conducted many times in the past. It was carried out between 1952 and 2004. The training session held today does not indicate SIR. If SIR is carried out in the State, the ECI, which is a constitutional body, will notify the list of identification documents that will suffice,” the CEO said.

He also noted that in Bihar, BLOs have been instructed to go door to door to distribute, assist with, collect, digitise, and submit enumeration forms via the BLO app.

“However, I do not know whether the same will be for West Bengal,” Mr. Agarwal said.