Electoral roll observer reviews SIR progress in Balurghat

BALURGHAT: Special Electoral Roll Observer Ashwini Kumar Yadav on Wednesday held a high-level meeting at Balurghat Circuit House to review the progress of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in South Dinajpur. Senior district administrative officials and representatives from seven political parties—Trinamool Congress, BJP, CPI(M), AAP, BSP, Forward Bloc and Congress—attended. After the meeting, political parties shared mixed reactions.

Tarun Kumar Bhowmik, Booth Level Assistant (BLA) of the Trinamool Congress, said the party was not opposed to the SIR but felt the process was being conducted too hastily, increasing the chances of procedural errors. Bhowmik also pointed out that some voters’ details from South Dinajpur had mistakenly appeared in other districts’ online portals due to incorrect uploads by booth-level officers. “We demanded immediate correction and the observer assured us that necessary steps would be taken,” he said.

BJP’s South Dinajpur district general secretary Bapi Sarkar said the observer reviewed SIR status and asked parties to report any issues. “There were some initial problems but those have been resolved. We are now waiting for the draft voter list and the hearing phase. The observer did not introduce new guidelines,” he said.