Kolkata: Amid sustained objections raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—who has written five letters to the Election Commission of India (ECI) flagging concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process—the poll body has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections under the revision of electoral rolls in several states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Goa, Rajasthan, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.
The revised schedule now allows voters to submit claims or objections till January 19, offering additional time beyond the earlier deadline to ensure maximum inclusion of eligible voters.
In West Bengal, the extension followed repeated demands by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which alleged that the SIR process was being conducted in undue haste, leading to confusion and harassment of ordinary voters. In her communications to the ECI, Banerjee warned that the revision was being carried out in an “unplanned, chaotic and dangerous manner” and cautioned that such a hurried exercise could result in the exclusion of genuine voters.
She also questioned the urgency of the process, stating: “I do not understand this hurry in conducting SIR just before elections,” while pointing out that similar revisions in the past had taken several years to complete.
Echoing these concerns, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee criticised the compressed timeline of the exercise, describing it as “not a special intensive revision, but a silent invisible rigging.” Questioning the speed of the process, he said, “Earlier SIR exercises took nearly two years; now it is being done in just two months,” raising doubts about the fairness and accuracy of the revision.
The SIR exercise, part of a nationwide effort to update electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections, aims to include eligible citizens while removing ineligible entries. Voters can verify their details and submit claims or corrections using Form 6 with the required declarations within the extended deadline.
The extension applies only to the claims and objections phase; other stages of the SIR process will continue as scheduled.
Meanwhile, in West Bengal and some other states, the SIR process has also highlighted the intense workload faced by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Several BLOs have reportedly died amid extreme work pressure linked to the circulation and collection of enumeration forms and additional duties under the revision process. The deadline extension is expected to provide some operational relief to election staff as well.