New SIR 2.0 Crisis in West Bengal Politics

Dec 30, 2025 - By Ashutosh Roy Current AffairsPolitics

New SIR 2.0 Crisis in West Bengal Politics: Voter Verification Chaos

SIR 2.0 hearing phase is underway in Bengal. It’s better to term as SIR 2.0 crisis. However, trouble surfaced again on the third day of the hearing.

Protests and Political Tensions During SIR 2.0 crisis

First, booth-level agents protested. They questioned why authorities did not allow them to enter the hearing venue.As a result, Trinamool Congress MLA Asit Majumdar stopped the hearing for nearly two hours in Chuchura. Meanwhile, Asima Patra led a protest in Dhanekhali.

Later, a delegation acted. Under the leadership of Partha Bhowmik and Shashi Majumdar, the team went to the CEO office of the Election Commission. They demanded the restoration of the rights for BLA 2 to be present. In short, this is the overall situation.

After Abhishek Banerjee’s virtual meeting on Sunday, the party took these steps. In other words, the top leadership of the Trinamool Congress directed this programme. Meanwhile, Asit Majumdar staged a protest and halted the hearing.

Later, he said the party withdrew the programme on humanitarian grounds. However, he warned that protests would resume the next day if booth-level agents did not give their consent.

At the same time, an incident took place in Magrahat, South 24 Parganas. Miscreants vandalized the vehicle of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Roll Observer (SRO), C. Murugan.

Software Glitches and Verification Challenges in West Bengal

Meanwhile, a Facebook post by The Wire claimed that the software wrongly marked some voters as “unmapped.” Therefore, officials have temporarily paused the hearing or verification process for these unmapped voters.

Election Commission officials told The Indian Express that this pause applies only to specific cases. In particular, it covers cases where software records do not match hard copy documents.

However, this suspension does not apply to all cases. After field verification, local Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) flagged some cases. The pause does not apply to those cases identified by EROs.

However, the Election Commission and its software systems have also faced problems from the beginning. Errors have appeared in the software and the website at several stages. As a result, these mistakes are acting like fuel on the fire during this sensitive period.

SIR 2.0 crisis: Background of the Movement of Trinamool Congress

In summary, the Trinamool Congress opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) even before it began. In fact, the party openly threatened to stop the process. Although it later accepted the exercise, it never softened its opposition.

Meanwhile, the party strongly highlighted incidents related to the deaths and alleged suicides of Booth Level Officers (BLOs). This protest has continued as a systematic and ongoing process. At the same time, complaints emerged that Booth Level Agents (BLAs) pressured and intimidated BLOs during the enumeration form phase.

Since most political parties could not appoint agents everywhere, the situation became largely one-sided. Now, the party has also protested against the appointment of Micro Observers during the hearing phase. This opposition is still continuing.

Personal Experiences Highlight Voter Hardship

Let me share my personal experience. Both my wife’s and my name appeared on the 2002 voter list. We never faced any problem. Our son voted in the 2024 election. I personally uploaded the names and complete details of all three of us online. However, suddenly, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) called my son. He asked for documents.

Therefore, on a freezing night in late December, I went to the BLO’s house. I submitted my son’s birth certificate after self-attesting it. Yet, even the officer could not clearly explain why he needed the document. He could not give any specific reason.

Still, one question remains unanswered. When both parents were already on the 2002 voter list, why did their son need additional documents? This remains a mystery to me.

In other words, if the Election Commission can use artificial intelligence to verify voter lists, it should also be able to build a flawless and reliable software system. This is the SIR 2.0 crisis that I had faced.

Current Situation: Political Slugfest in SIR 2.0 crisis

Unfortunately, this is the reality of West Bengal. Political unrest has become a daily issue here. On one hand, the Trinamool Congress wants to ensure that no voter’s name gets deleted. On the other hand, the BJP wants authorities to remove the names of dead voters, Bangladeshi nationals, and those who have permanently left the area.

According to the BJP, powerful parties misuse these names for bogus voting. As a result, they can influence election outcomes through illegal votes. Moreover, there are countless examples of such incidents. Therefore, the debate over the voter list remains highly sensitive and deeply political. So, political parties are still divided in SIR 2.0 crisis.

Privacy Of Citizens

Let us try to understand why Booth Level Agents (BLAs) should not be present during the verification process. First, all officials conducting this verification are government officers appointed by the Election Commission. The person whose details are under verification is a registered voter.

Therefore, the presence of any third person directly violates the voter’s privacy. For this reason, authorities did not install CCTV cameras. They are also not recording the process on video.

Instead, the Election Commission appointed Micro Observers to monitor the process. Moreover, the Election Commission clearly stated that BLAs do not have permission to be present during the hearing.

Special Observer Subrata Gupta also clarified the position. He said officials have informed Delhi about everything. He added that authorities will follow whatever instructions come from Delhi. Until then, they will strictly follow the existing rules.

Why SIR 2.0 Verification Is Causing Voter Distress

During the SIR 2.0 hearing phase, we see many weak and sick people standing in long queues. This raises a serious question. Why should a citizen suffer so much just to exercise the right to vote? Moreover, protests and disruptions only waste more time.

As a result, these people suffer even more. Therefore, every political party should show at least a minimum sense of humanity. In other words, nothing in West Bengal happens smoothly. We have seen election-related violence many times in the past.

Now, the same drama is repeating during this voter verification process in SIR 2.0 Crisis. Unfortunately, this is our reality.