TMC writes to CEO over ‘contradictory’ EC guidelines on family linkage in SIR forms

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Friday alleged inconsistency between the chief election commissioner’s (CEC) recent remarks and the written instructions issued to booth level officers (BLOs) for the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. In a letter to the state’s chief electoral officer (CEO), the party claimed that the matter has caused "widespread confusion and operational paralysis" among BLOs across several districts. The TMC alleged that while CEC Gyanesh Kumar, during a press conference on October 27, had said that blood relatives such as uncles could be mentioned in SIR forms, the written instructions and software interface restrict the permissible ‘relative’ category to parents and grandparents only. In a letter to the CEO, TMC leader and minister Aroop Biswas said, "The CEC had stated that while filling up the enumeration form, a person may insert either their own details (if present in the previous SIR list) or those of a relative, specifically mentioning the term ‘chacha’ (uncle), thereby implying that mapping through uncles or other blood relatives is permissible."

The party claimed that this "directly contradicts the written instructions issued to BLOs and the BLO software interface, both of which restrict the ‘relative’ category strictly to parents and grandparents only." Stating that the confusion has hampered field operations, the letter added, "BLOs are unable to proceed with data entry for many genuine citizens who fall outside the narrow parent/grandparent linkage." The TMC demanded that the EC formally reflect the verbal clarification in the official instruction manual and BLO software interface, allowing mapping through uncles and other blood relatives. Assembly elections in West Bengal are likely to be held before mid-2026.