West Bengal: Electoral roll revision gains momentum as BLOs start door-to-door drive; 18 lakh enumeration forms issued

Early feedback from the votes was mixed. In Bhabanipur, senior citizen Vikas Chandra Das praised the process, saying: “BLO Subhashree gave us this form and explained it well… There is also a help desk at the DEO office. It looks smooth.” In Maniktala, resident Shukla Chakraborty said BLO Arpita Dutta explained the form in detail.

But in many pockets concerns persist. Shanaz Parveen of Rajabazar, who moved to the city as a bride in 2004, voiced her apprehension regarding documentation.“My in-laws had everything in order. They had their names in the list too. But my husband works as a daily-wage earner in a factory. How would I know about these things? “We are all very troubled in our area,” she said.

The revision has also brought to light citizens who have never voted. 30-year-old Zeba Parveen, who has never participated in an election, is now concerned. “I never bothered with it all these years but this SIR has got us all worried,” she said. She said while she has an Aadhaar card, “they are saying it’s not enough.”

In minority-dominated wards, BLOs faced specific procedural queries, such as what to do if no family member was on the 2002 roll. A BLO told electors that in such cases they should leave that column blank and fill the rest; the Electoral Registration Officer would then contact them and ask for up to 13 supporting documents.

Operational pressures were also visible. In Amdanga constituency, teacher-BLO Mohammad Habibur Rehman said he began work alone at 10 am because his school had not notified him of election duty; he feared repeated casual leave would be unsustainable. “School duty hours are 11 am to 5 pm. How am I expected to do this and then visit every household? I cannot afford CL (casual leave) every day. Can I work 24 hours?” he asked.

Rehman was seen distributing forms and replying to queries alone. On being asked why he was working alone and not accompanied by Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from political parties (who are meant to accompany them during verification) he said, “None of the BLAs have contacted me nor have I been given any BLAs by any political party.”

While the process mandates that BLOs should ideally be accompanied by BLAs,their presence across the state is uncertain.The CEO’s office said political parties had registered about 41,800 BLA-2 agents so far, while the state has more than 94,000 booths. The low registration has fuelled speculation about how many party agents will be available to accompany the BLOs.

The EC has also set up an SIR Control Room at its headquarters to monitor operations . The Control Room can summon field officers for information; its contact numbers are 011-23052002 and 011-23052110, the commission said. “For effective monitoring of the SIR activities, team deployed at the Control Room may require to call the field officers at any point of time and field officers including DEOs, as the case may require, be directed to pick up the call from the Control Room and provide requisite information within the desired time period,” read the order.

Officials said two copies of the enumeration form would be handed to each voter; after both copies are completed and signed, the BLO will keep one and return the other to the voter with a stamp for their record. Voters have been advised to keep their current voter card, Aadhaar and two recent passport photographs ready.

Election officers stressed that SIR includes multiple safeguards, including signed copies, help desks and legal remedies for disputes. AEROs and EROs were deployed at help desks, notably at Kumargram Block and other gram panchayats, to guide the BLOs.

Officials said they would continue public outreach to reduce confusion and urged citizens to approach local election offices or the Control Room helplines for assistance.