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The Election Commission on Saturday evening uploaded on its website the names of people on the list of SIR logical discrepancies list following an order of the Supreme Court, a poll panel official said. The district electoral officers will now download the list and display it on panchayat bhavans and block offices as directed by the court. The Supreme Court on January 19 directed the EC to display the names of those on the "logical discrepancies" list at gram panchayat bhavans, block offices of talukas and ward offices in West Bengal by Saturday. The court noted that 1.25 crore voters in the state figure on the "logical discrepancies" list. "The lists of unmapped voters and those with logical discrepancies are on our website," the official told PTI. Logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent's name and the age difference between a voter and their parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years. The poll pan
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said the special intensive revision of voters' lists in the remaining states will be rolled out soon as he described "pure" electoral rolls as the bedrock of democracy. On the eve of the Election Commission's foundation day -- also celebrated as National Voters' Day -- Kumar said the revision exercise is presently being conducted "smoothly" in 12 states and Union territories. The chief election commissioner said pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy and added, "With this objective, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was initiated to ensure that every eligible elector's name is included in the electoral roll and that every ineligible name is removed." This exercise has been successfully completed in Bihar, and a 'special revision' of electoral rolls is separately underway in Assam, Kumar said. He said, "It (SIR) will soon be rolled out in the remaining states as well. "The most compelling testame
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has voiced deep unease over the SIR process in West Bengal, warning that the exercise is being conducted with "undue haste" and may jeopardise democratic participation, particularly with the assembly elections approaching in a few months. The 92-year-old economist, speaking to PTI during an interview from Boston, reflected on the democratic value of electoral roll revisions and the circumstances under which they can strengthen voting rights. He stressed that such an exercise must be conducted with care and adequate time, conditions he believes are "missing" in Bengal's case. "A thorough review of electoral rolls done carefully with adequate time can be a good democratic procedure, but this is not what is happening in West Bengal at this time," Sen said. "The SIR is being done in a hurry, with inadequate time for people with voting rights to have sufficient opportunity to submit documents to vindicate their entitlement to vote in the coming assembly ...
The Election Commission of India on Monday issued a clarification on the notice issued as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in Goa to former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd), stating that his enumeration form did not contain mandatory particulars related to the previous SIR. The ECI had asked Prakash, who has been settled in Goa since his retirement, to attend a meeting to establish his identity as part of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls. Several netizens, including those who retired from the armed forces, had expressed concern about such a notice to Prakash, a Vir Chakra awardee for his role in the India-Pakistan War of 1971. In a clarification issued on Monday, Electoral Registration Officer Dr Medora Ermomilla D'Costa said, "In the context of media reports relating to notices issued during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it is clarified that during the course of SIR, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of Part No. 43 of Cortalim Assembly Constituency ...
The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Election Commission on fresh interim pleas of Trinamool Congress MPs alleging arbitrariness and procedural irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of applications filed by lawmakers Derek O Brien and Dola Sen in their pending petitions challenging the procedural actions taken in the ongoing SIR in the state. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Derek O Brien, said the EC's instructions on the SIR are being issued through social media platforms like WhatsApp and made booth-level officers (BLOs) act without any formal orders. Sibal also said the poll panel has introduced a 'logical discrepancy' category of voters, who may be issued notice for a quasi-judicial hearing on their eligibility over errors or anomalies in the voter details. The counsel representing the poll panel sought two weeks to f
A man who left his home in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district 22 years ago after his family opposed his marriage was reunited with his mother because of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, police said on Saturday. Police said it all started after Vinod, alias Vinod Gairi, who is settled in Rajasthan, tried to get his name included in the voters' list during the ongoing SIR exercise. An official said Gairi was asked to get the details of his parents' EPIC (Election Photo Identity Card) numbers as part of the process. He then reached out to the panchayat at his native place. After learning about the matter, Gairi's mother approached the police to trace her son. Under the direction of Mandsaur Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Meena, a team led by Nai Abadi police station in-charge sub-inspector Kuldeep Singh Rathore, was formed to track down Gairi, a police statement said. The MP police eventually traced Gairi to the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, where he has been
The Election Commission on Saturday instructed micro-observers deployed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to closely monitor field-level activities and report any irregularities or deviations from prescribed procedures through designated channels, an official said. In an advisory, the poll body said micro-observers must function independently and objectively during the exercise, with strict adherence to transparency, accuracy and neutrality. "They have been directed to observe processes relating to verification, claims and objections, and ensure that instructions of the commission are followed in letter and spirit without any external influence," he said. The commission noted that the SIR is a crucial exercise aimed at producing error-free and inclusive electoral rolls, and any lapse at the grassroots level could undermine public confidence. "Observations submitted by micro-observers will serve as vital inputs for senior election authorities to assess the
The Election Commission on Saturday appointed four more Special Roll Observers (SROs) for West Bengal to strengthen supervision of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Those named as SROs were Ratan Biswas, Vikas Singh, Sandeep Rewaji Rathod and Dr Shailesh, according to a notification. "The SROs will closely monitor the revision and verification exercises and ensure strict adherence to statutory instructions," an official said. "The SROs were appointed to ensure transparency, accuracy and uniform implementation of instructions related to electoral rolls. They will independently review the process on the ground and flag any deviations for immediate corrective action," he added. Besides SROs, the EC has appointed observers at multiple levels to oversee the SIR exercise. "The focus is on strengthening public confidence in the integrity of the electoral rolls," the official said. The appointments will take effect immediately and remain in force until furt
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been turned into an exercise to exclude voters rather than correct records. In her letter, Banerjee accused the Election Commission of political bias and high-handedness during the exercise. "The hearing process has become largely mechanical, driven purely by technical data and completely devoid of the application of mind, sensitivity and human touch," she said in the three-page letter. She said the exercise's aim seemed "neither of correction nor of inclusion... but solely of deletion and of exclusion". Banerjee claimed minor spelling or age discrepancies were leading to coercive hearings, harassment and loss of wages for ordinary people. She also highlighted the plight of women who changed surnames after marriage, stating that they were being summoned to prove their identity, which she called a grave
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said how the BJP leaders knew the number of voters going to be removed, raising a question of "credibility" of the Election Commission of India. Speaking to reporters in Lucknow on Saturday, Yadav said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was conducted in Uttar Pradesh. Without objecting, all political parties, including their booth-level agents (BLAs), participated in the exercise. After the release of the draft voter list on Tuesday, Yadav said, he was apprehensive about the removal of 3 crore votes. However, even before the draft voter list was released, and no one knew how many votes would be removed, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that approximately four crore votes were going to be removed, Yadav said. A former MP from Kannauj also said that three lakh votes had already been removed in one district, Yadav said. He added that there are two assembly constituencies in different districts, and they will .
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a "Book-a-Call with BLO" facility to make voter services more accessible during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, even as the claims and objections period remains open till February 6, 2026. According to an official statement, voters can now book a phone call with their respective booth level officer (BLO) to seek information or assistance related to the electoral roll, including inclusion, deletion or correction of details. The service is available through the ECI portal voters.eci.gov.in and the ECINET mobile application. After logging in with a registered mobile number or completing the sign-up process using an OTP, voters can book a call by entering their EPIC or reference number, or alternatively by providing details such as state, district, assembly constituency and booth number. The concerned BLO will contact the voter within 48 hours. The draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh
The Election Commission has said West Bengal residents working or studying outside the state will no longer be required to physically attend hearings under the SIR of electoral rolls and will be allowed to submit documents online through a soon-to-be-launched portal, a senior poll panel official said on Thursday. "If they themselves cannot attend the hearing, a family member may go on their behalf. Documents submitted online will be accepted by the commission," the official told PTI. The decision is aimed at addressing the challenges faced by migrant laborers, students, and professionals residing outside the state who were previously required to be physically present for hearings. Meanwhile, the poll body expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of some booth-level officers (BLOs), alleging that in many instances, they have ignored official instructions and made independent decisions. According to sources, the commission has warned that any deliberate errors by BLOs will lead to
The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred to January 13 the final hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in several states, including Bihar. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which had fixed the pleas for hearing during the day, said it will resume the proceedings on Tuesday. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel, was to resume advancing his arguments in the case. On January 6, the Election Commission had told the bench that it has the power and competence to undertake Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, besides there is a constitutional duty to ensure that no foreigners are registered as voters. The pleas challenge the EC's decision to undertake the SIR exercise in several states, including Bihar, have raised significant constitutional questions on the scope of the poll panel's powers, citizenship and the right to vote.
The Election Commission (EC) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it has the power and competence to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, besides there is a constitutional duty to ensure that no foreigners are registered as voters. The submissions were made by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi on behalf of the EC before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The bench resumed final hearings on a batch of petitions challenging the EC's decision to undertake the SIR exercise in several states, including Bihar, raising significant constitutional questions on the scope of the poll panel's powers, citizenship and the right to vote. Dwivedi pointed out that all key constitutional functionaries across the three organs of the State must be Indian citizens, citing provisions such as Article 124(3) of the Constitution relating to the appointment of Supreme Court and high court judges. He said one of the key conditions for the appointme
The draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh was published on Tuesday after a special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, with 12.55 crore voters retained out of 15.44 crore listed earlier, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said on Tuesday. The remaining 18.70 per cent, or about 2.89 crore voters, could not be included in the draft list due to deaths, permanent migration or multiple registrations, he said while addressing a press conference here. Rinwa said the Election Commission had undertaken a door-to-door enumeration drive in which enumeration forms were to be filled and signed by voters or their family members. While the exercise was originally scheduled to end on December 11, the state sought an additional 15 days after noticing that the names of a large number of voters, nearly 2.97 crore, were getting excluded from the draft list.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Tuesday that the Election Commission is using mobile applications developed by the BJP's IT cell to conduct the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. Speaking to reporters before concluding her two-day visit to Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district to oversee preparations for the upcoming Gangasagar Mela, Banerjee accused the EC of "resorting to all kinds of wrong moves while conducting the electoral roll revision. The EC is resorting to all kinds of wrong moves for conducting the SIR. It is marking eligible voters as dead' and forcing the elderly, ill and indisposed to attend hearings. It is making use of mobile apps developed by the BJP's IT cell for the exercise. This is illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic. This cannot go on, the chief minister alleged. The TMC supremo's fresh set of allegations against the poll panel was made on a day when her party MP Derek O'Brien moved the Supreme Court against the EC, claiming it
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would move court against what she described as the "inhumane" conduct of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Addressing a public meeting in Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district, she alleged that fear, harassment and administrative arbitrariness linked to the exercise had led to deaths and hospitalisations of several people. "We are moving court tomorrow against the inhumane treatment and the death of so many people due to the SIR," she said. "If allowed, I will also move the Supreme Court and plead as a common person against this inhumane exercise. I am also a trained lawyer," she said. Banerjee alleged that names were being "arbitrarily struck off" the voter rolls without valid reasons, turning a routine administrative process into a source of fear ahead of the assembly elections. She claimed that terminally ill people and elderly citizens were being forced to stand in long queue