Accurate Voter List in West Bengal: SIR Fiasco

The SIR in West Bengal boasts of bountiful of events. We may have crossed the half way mark of enumeration form stage. The Booth level officers (BLO) often succumb to the pressure of Trinamool Congress. The party is lead by Mamata Banerjee. So, attempt to cleanse the voter lists as  per the direction under Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is seemingly difficult. So, an Accurate Voter List seems to remain as a dream.

The Gripping news is breaking, and long-hidden mysteries are beginning to unravel. We have noticed the mass exodus of illegal immigrants, though the rulers are in desperation to suppress them. Initially, the news flashes of vanishing maid servants revealed in bits and pieces. Slowly, we have heard the news of evacuation of some slums. Its not any rural area, even the slums in Rajarhat, New Town, Salt Lake have become almost deserted.  The Accurate Voter List by SIR has created a panic among many. We have discovered the duplicate voters and dual identities.

It’s shocking to find someone flaunting an Indian voter card in one hand and a Bangladeshi one in the other.

But nothing beats the absurdity of a voter listed in 44 different rolls. At this point, criticism feels redundant. Such a brilliant figure eludes us from the expectation of an Accurate Voter List

Interim Reports of ongoing SIR for Accurate Voter List

Brushing asides the lighter tone, some reliable sources report that the booth wise analysis show some mind-boggling figures. On average per booth, the record are like 75 deaths, 50 permanent migrations, 10 untraceable voters, and 1 duplicate entry. We have collected these figures from unofficial channels and we have not verified for the accuracy. However, the elimination is the prime job of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to present us Accurate Voter List.

We have quoted the figures just for an estimate, which may vary from draft voter list and certainly in the final voter list. This is in reminiscent with The Times of India Report of Match of 51-65% voters in the current voter list and 2002 SIR in 7 districts.  So, if we want to go by law of average, the figures almost tally. If consider these data to be actual, there is a chance of elimination of approximate 1.2 crores to 1.5 crores.

We may not have the actual count of duplicate voters, but its natural a large number has died in this intervening period.  The voter lists will have a direct reflection of those. The significant Outbound-Migration is vivid, the magnitude may vary. It’s obvious that 23 years a long period and the large-scale elimination come under the normal procedure. We will certainly notice the inclusion of voters in the voter lists. The crux is that the youths show high-level of enthusiasm to exercise their voter rights. Since the last general election took place in 2024, the scope for new inclusion remains limited.

The Voice against SIR of Mamata Banerjee

The people who once threatened to surround the Election Commission over a single deleted name have now gone almost completely silent. The political leaders are allegedly habitual liars. They might raise hue and cry to mobilize the cadre, but they also understand the reality. Mamata Banerjee had even said, she wouldn’t allow the conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. Jawhar Sircar, the famous bureaucrat, Ex-Rajya Sabha MP and ex-Prasar Bharati CEO had shown a calculation in a TV talk show, in which he also expected a mass exclusion.

The Booth Level Officers (BLO) have fallen under pincers-pressure, balancing the Trinamool Congress in one hand and Election Commission on the other. They have got the onus of cleansing voter lists.

The reports also show that officials have uploaded only 40% of the enumeration forms. With time running out, completing the remaining 60% within the deadline will be difficult. We know that some Booth Level agents (BLA) of Trinamool Congress have building up paramount pressure on the Booth Level Officers (BLO). In Addition, the State Government has not sanctioned funds for recruitment of 1000 temporary data entry operators. In such a condition, it will be easier for the Trinamool Congress BLAs to influence the BLOs.

An Accurate voter list – Nothing less, Nothing More

Though Election Commission has backup method and cross-check methodology by AI, still the cleansing of voter lists may not yield as per expectation. We can’t ignore that the Election Commission may conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), but state-cadre officers ultimately carry it out. So, any inefficiency will ultimately point finger at West Bengal State Government under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. The fact of life remains that the efficiency of some Booth Level Officers (BLO) have already come under the rudder. Such fiasco has arisen doubts regarding Accurate Voter List

The climax will start when the hearing will take places for the untraced voters and eliminated voters. Since the officers are state employees, they must toe Mamata Banerjee’s line. Moreover, if the opposition cannot deploy competent BLAs, the contest will inevitably become one-sided.

In any case, what sensible citizens rightfully expect is an accurate and error-free voter list.