Bengal SIR: Don’t accept birth certificates issued after June 24, BJP to EC

Malviya said the delegation asked the commission to review the documentation process for the SIR in the state. He said the EC had taken note of their request.

Starting with Bihar in June, the EC has ordered an SIR of electoral rolls across the country, asking electors to submit documents to establish their eligibility for voter ID. In Bihar, the EC had given an indicative list of 11 documents — including birth, caste, forest rights certificates and passport and excluding Aadhaar and ration card — as proof for inclusion in the electoral rolls.

In the memorandum submitted to the EC, the BJP delegation hit out at the TMC government in the state. “At the outset, we wish to acknowledge that the SIR is a critical process in ensuring the sanctity and accuracy of electoral rolls. Voting is not only a constitutional right but also the foundation of democratic governance. However, it has come to our notice that in the present context of West Bengal, certain serious irregularities are being observed in the issuance and authentication of documents being used for voter registration,” it said.

VIDEO | A BJP delegation visits Election Commission in Delhi to press for SIR in Bengal.

BJP leader Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) says, “Today the BJP delegation met the EC, to impress upon the need to review the documentation for SIR in Bengal. We presented to the commission,… pic.twitter.com/133MhBXljk

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 3, 2025

Over the past few years, it said, there have been “large-scale issuance of backdated and forged documents, particularly through government schemes such as ‘Duare Sarkar’, aimed ostensibly at citizen welfare but effectively utilised to provide documentation to illegal infiltrators from across the border”.

The party said reports indicate that the number of such certificates issued has increased since 2020. “Many of these are being used to create a false trail of citizenship and residence, thereby undermining the very purpose of the SIR — which is to ensure that only genuine citizens are enrolled as voters. Hence, we urge the Commission to treat the West Bengal situation as a special case requiring additional safeguards beyond those prescribed for other states,” the BJP leaders wrote.

They suggested that birth certificates issued after June 24, the date on which the EC ordered the SIR exercise, should not be accepted, but if necessary, they should be verified by Booth-Level Officers casewise.

According to the memorandum, only permanent residence certificates issued and signed by Group-A officers should be accepted. In the case of forest rights certificates, only those that were issued before April 2, the date on which the state government appointed a new Forest Secretary, should be accepted.

“Caste certificates have been issued in large numbers through Duare Sarkar camps without field enquiry… It is further noted that a vast number of OBC-A certificates have been issued to members of the Muslim community, many of whom are alleged to be illegal infiltrators. The Calcutta High Court has already declared the OBC-A category illegal, and the matter remains sub judice,” they said, adding that caste certificates issued without verification and OBC-A certificates issued between 2011 and 2024 should not be accepted.